Jury Convicts Man in Killing of Good Samaritan at Lithonia Park, Sentenced to Two Life Terms

DECATUR, Ga. — A DeKalb County jury has convicted a 41-year-old man of murder and related charges in the 2020 shooting death of a man who had offered him help, officials said.

Ryan Anson Carter was found guilty Friday, April 24th, of malice murder, felony murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in the death of 29-year-old Jamaal Cobb, according to the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office.

DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Asha F. Jackson sentenced Carter immediately following the verdict to two consecutive life sentences, plus an additional five years to be served consecutively.

Authorities said the case began on Aug. 23, 2020, when DeKalb County police officers responded around 9:30 a.m. to Lithonia Park after a woman walking her dog found Cobb lying in a pool of blood on a basketball court. Investigators determined Cobb had been shot in the leg and forearm and was deceased at the scene.

Detectives followed a trail of blood from the basketball court through the park to a nearby soccer field, where they recovered shell casings and projectiles.

The investigation revealed Cobb and Carter were strangers who met hours earlier at a Texaco gas station near Gresham Road and Interstate 20 after Carter’s girlfriend left him there following an argument. Authorities said Cobb gave Carter a ride, and Carter used Cobb’s phone to contact his girlfriend. The two later traveled to Lithonia Park, near the girlfriend’s apartment.

Prosecutors said Carter shot Cobb shortly after 7 a.m., stole his maroon 2004 GMC Yukon, and drove to Lilburn, where he discarded Cobb’s phone. Later that day, emergency responders found Carter in distress along Interstate 85 south near Armour Drive in possession of the stolen vehicle and transported him to Grady Memorial Hospital. The vehicle was subsequently towed.

After identifying Cobb as the victim, investigators located the SUV at a tow yard and conducted a search. Authorities said a firearm was found hidden in a duffle bag in the trunk, and ballistics testing later matched it to evidence recovered at the park.

Police arrested Carter, who denied involvement and told investigators he had not been at the park, though he acknowledged being at the gas station where he first encountered Cobb.

The case was prosecuted by the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office Homicide and Gangs Unit following an investigation led by DeKalb County Police.