GWINNETT COUNTY, GA — A Gwinnett County jury reaches a guilty verdict in the execution-style murder of a 22-year-old man three years ago.
32-year-old Brian Sanchez Duarte was sentenced to life in prison plus five years without the possibility of parole.
22-year-old Alinton Joel Rivera-Zuniga was only wearing underwear when he was gunned down after taking a ride from Duarte on November 27, 2022.
Rivera-Zuniga was leaving the Alta Gama event hall in Norcross when he met Duarte and another man, Jose Caraballo-Mendez who were also at the event.
Caraballo-Mendez offered a ride to Rivera-Zuniga, but Duarte who was a passenger in the SUV, because agitated and distrustful of Rivera-Zuniga’s intentions for accepting the ride.
Caraballo-Mendez testified during the trial that Rivera-Zuniga was nervous and stripped down to his underwear to show that he was not a threat.
Security footage showed the SUV stopping on the road, Duarte getting out of the passenger seat and walking to the left side of the vehicle.
Caraballo-Mendez said that Duarte ordered the victim out of the SUV and then shot him point-blank, leaving Rivera-Zuniga dead in the road.
The jury took about two hours to reach the guilty verdict.
“This was a senseless death,” District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. “This verdict and sentencing send a message that deadly violence is uncalled for. We hope the outcome of this case helps the victim’s family find solace.”
WSB Radio’s Ann Powell contributed to this story.
