Forsyth Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Fatal Stabbing of Roommate in Woodstock

WOODSTOCK, Ga. – A 27-year-old Forsyth man has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to fatally stabbing his roommate nearly 20 times inside a Woodstock apartment in 2024.

Cherokee County District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway announced that Triston James Sexton entered a negotiated guilty plea on July 15 to malice murder and possession of a knife during the commission of a felony in the death of 55-year-old David Courtney Phelps of Atlanta.

According to prosecutors, Woodstock police responded shortly after 4 a.m. on Sept. 19, 2024, to a reported stabbing at the Avonlea Apartments in the Towne Lake area.

Phelps was found suffering from multiple stab wounds and was taken to a hospital, where he later died. Prosecutors said he had been stabbed approximately 20 times while lying in bed, with injuries to his heart and lungs proving fatal.

When officers arrived, Sexton was outside the apartment building. Investigators recovered a blood-stained chef’s knife from a nearby bench, which was later identified as the murder weapon.

Authorities said Sexton and Phelps had been roommates for about one month as participants in a sober living program. The three other residents of the apartment told investigators they were unaware of any prior disputes between the two men. Phelps had been scheduled to leave the sober living program later that week.

According to prosecutors, the roommates were awakened by Phelps’ screams and entered the bedroom, where they found Sexton standing over him holding a knife.

Sexton told investigators he had been sexually assaulted by Phelps, but prosecutors said the investigation found no evidence to support the allegation.

Witnesses also reported that Sexton had displayed increasingly erratic behavior in the days before the killing, including staying awake through the night and failing to take prescribed medication.

Surveillance video from inside the apartment allegedly showed Sexton pacing throughout the early morning hours, briefly leaving the residence before returning. Minutes later, the footage captured him walking through the apartment carrying a knife shortly before the attack, prosecutors said.

During the sentencing hearing, the defense argued that Sexton’s mental illness contributed to his actions. Prosecutors argued that while Sexton had experienced mental health issues, the evidence demonstrated that the killing was intentional and carried out with malice.

Family members of the victim addressed the court, describing Phelps as a loving man with an infectious personality and speaking about the impact of his death.

Superior Court Judge Jennifer L. Davis sentenced Sexton to life in prison with the possibility of parole, followed by five years of probation under the negotiated plea agreement. He will become eligible for parole after serving a minimum of 30 years in prison.

As part of the sentence, Sexton was ordered to have no contact with the victim’s family, complete mental health and substance abuse evaluation and treatment, and is prohibited from entering Cherokee County.

The case was investigated by the Woodstock Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Visockis of the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit.