Cesar Gobinez-Naba, a 20-year-old Hispanic male, was tragically killed on November 19, 2021, in the Brookhaven suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. The incident unfolded at his apartment on Buford Highway, where police responded to reports of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers discovered Gobinez-Naba unconscious and unresponsive in the doorway of his apartment, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into the death of Cesar Gobinez-Naba revealed that the shooting was the result of an altercation. The Brookhaven Police Department quickly identified three teenage suspects in connection with the murder. The suspects arrested were 17-year-old Joe Dylan Fernandez of Norcross, 17-year-old Wenjie Lin of Doraville, and a 13-year-old boy from Chamblee whose name was not released due to his age. The arrests of Lin and Fernandez occurred on November 24 and December 1, 2021, respectively.
All three suspects were charged with felony murder and armed robbery. Fernandez and Lin faced additional charges of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. The two older teenagers were booked into the DeKalb County jail. The case drew significant attention due to the violent nature of the crime and the young ages of the accused. In September 2022, a DeKalb County grand jury indicted Joe Dylan Fernandez on charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, criminal attempt to commit a felony, and possession of a gun by a person under 18.
