Macon Man Gets 40-Year Sentence for Fatal Shooting of Neighbor During Argument Over Car

MACON, Ga. – A Macon man has been sentenced to 40 years after pleading guilty to killing a neighbor who came outside during a dispute over a car in 2023.

Keywan Capers pleaded guilty Aug. 27 to voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, theft by taking and robbery by intimidation in the shooting death of 37-year-old Christopher Matthew Rachalla.

Capers was sentenced to 40 years, with the first 20 years to be served in prison.

The shooting happened March 29, 2023, at an apartment on Brookhaven Road, where Capers was with his girlfriend.

According to prosecutors, Capers was heavily intoxicated and demanded to drive his girlfriend’s car. When she refused, Capers struck her, and the argument eventually moved outside.

Rachalla, who lived nearby, heard the disturbance and came outside. By then, Capers had taken his girlfriend’s car keys.

Rachalla confronted Capers and was warned that Capers had a gun. Prosecutors said Rachalla responded that he was also armed and displayed his firearm. Capers’ girlfriend went back inside as the confrontation moved into the parking lot.

Witnesses told investigators that Capers shot Rachalla, took Rachalla’s gun and fled in his girlfriend’s vehicle.

Deputies responding around 6:30 p.m. found Rachalla suffering from gunshot wounds.

Law enforcement issued a lookout for the vehicle, which officers later located in Monroe County. After a brief pursuit, during which officers fired at one of the vehicle’s tires, Capers surrendered.

He has remained in the Bibb County Jail since his arrest.

Capers received 20 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter and a concurrent 20-year prison sentence for robbery by intimidation. Additional consecutive and concurrent probation terms on the remaining charges brought the total sentence to 40 years.

As part of the sentence, Capers is prohibited from entering the Macon Judicial Circuit, including traveling through it on Interstate 75. He is also barred from possessing firearms, alcohol or drugs without a prescription and was ordered to have no contact with his girlfriend or Rachalla’s family.

Prosecutors said the case presented challenges because a key eyewitness is incarcerated in Texas and was deemed incompetent to testify.

“Keywan Capers took a man’s life over a car and a pointless argument, then tried to run,” Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney Anita Howard said. “Even with real challenges in this case, our office secured a sentence that holds him accountable and keeps this community safer.”

Assistant Deputy Chief Jeremy B. Johnson prosecuted the case.