In the early evening of April 23, 2022, the life of 26-year-old De’onta Trowel-Mosteller, an African American male, was tragically cut short at the Pinewood Manor apartment complex on Packinghouse Road in Statesboro, Georgia. Statesboro Police Department officers responded to a call of a shooting shortly before 7 p.m. and discovered Trowel-Mosteller deceased behind an apartment building, having sustained fatal gunshot wounds.
He was a 2015 graduate of Statesboro High School, had attended Georgia Southern University, and was a student at Ogeechee Technical College at the time of his death. He was also a father to four sons.
The investigation into the homicide quickly pointed to 32-year-old Chaz Burgest as a suspect. Detectives were able to identify Burgest fleeing the scene thanks to the apartment complex's modern camera system. This critical video evidence, combined with the cooperation of the Pinewood Manor management, allowed for a swift progression in the case. An arrest warrant was issued for Burgest on April 25, 2022, on charges of felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. With addresses in both Screven and Bulloch counties, the U.S. Marshals Service Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force was enlisted to help locate him. However, on April 26, 2022, Burgest turned himself in to the Statesboro Police Department and the firearm believed to have been used in the shooting was recovered.
Chaz Burgest's trial began in February 2023. The prosecution argued that Burgest shot Trowel-Mosteller as he was walking away. The defense, however, claimed self-defense, asserting that Trowel-Mosteller had flashed a gun at Burgest. It was undisputed that both men were armed. After nearly four and a half hours of deliberation, the jury found Burgest not guilty of malice murder and felony murder, as well as not guilty of aggravated assault. They did, however, find him guilty of the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
In March 2023, a judge sentenced Chaz Burgest to the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter, with an additional five years to be served consecutively for the firearm possession charge, resulting in a total sentence of 25 years. He was given credit for time served since his surrender on April 26, 2022.
