Stone Mountain Man Sentenced to Life Without Parole for Murder of Teen Girl

Decatur, Ga. – A DeKalb County jury has convicted 23-year-old Malachi Coleman of Stone Mountain in the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Jayce Pirtle and the wounding of a 16-year-old girl. The jury found Coleman guilty of Malice Murder, Felony Murder, two counts of Aggravated Assault, and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony.

The incident occurred on January 2, 2023, when the two teenage girls were walking home in the 500 block of Arbor Ridge Drive in Stone Mountain. According to investigators, Coleman, who had been dating a friend of the victims, confronted the girls following a prior verbal altercation over New Year’s Eve plans. Video footage from a nearby home shows Coleman dressed in black, chasing the girls, shooting the surviving victim twice in the lower body, and then pursuing Jayce off-screen. Audio from the footage captured Jayce pleading with Coleman before being fatally shot.

Jayce Pirtle was pronounced dead at the scene, while the second victim survived her injuries and later provided statements to police about the attack.

Following the verdict, DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Yolanda Parker-Smith sentenced Coleman to life without the possibility of parole.

The case was investigated by DKPD Detective A. Crowe and prosecuted by the Homicide and Gangs Unit of the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office, led by Senior Assistant District Attorneys Ryan Patrick and Kara Roberts, with support from District Attorney Investigator Jarrod Browder and Victim Advocate LaTonya Gates.