COWETA COUNTY, Ga. — After prosecutors said a Newnan man allegedly cheated on his girlfriend and then shot her in the chest, a jury has found him guilty of her murder.
Marcus Strozier, Jr., was found guilty of felony murder and sentenced to life in prison on March 31. The jury was not able to reach a verdict on whether he was guilty of aggravated assault with a firearm, according to a release from the Coweta Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office. A mistrial was declared for that count.
According to investigators, Carlesha Wells went to Strozier's home on April 22, 2021, in Newnan. The two had been in a relationship but it reached a point of tension as Wells suspected Strozier had been unfaithful.
What started as an argument between them on the front steps of the home turned into a fiery dispute that was moved inside. During their argument indoors, Stozier pulled out a gun and shot Wells in the middle of her chest at close range, according to prosecutors.
"Because Carlesha was standing at the threshold of the door, she fell onto her back in the front yard of Strozier's residence," prosecutors said in a news release. Evidence revealed she did not have weapons on her.
Strozier ran from the home before authorities arrived. Wells was rushed to the hospital where she died.
Attorneys for Strozier argued that he accidentally discharged his gun and did not intend to kill his girlfriend.
"This murder was senseless and unjustified," prosecutors said in a prepared statement. "In a moment of anger, Marcus Strozier took Carlesha's life and changed her family's life, including that of her two small children, forever."
