Willie Render Jr., a 56-year-old male, was known throughout his LaGrange, Georgia community as a gentle and constantly smiling man who made a living mowing lawns and was regarded as a peacemaker. His life was brought to a violent end on the night of May 29, 2020, when he was shot and killed. The incident, which led to his untimely death, began with a disagreement over drugs.
The man responsible for Render's death was Charlestavious Dyer, who had recently moved to LaGrange from Atlanta with the intention of establishing himself as a drug dealer. On the evening of the shooting, Dyer, a convicted felon, had a friend purchase ammunition for him as he was legally prohibited from doing so himself. Later, he got into an argument with Render at a friend's house because Render refused to buy drugs from him. Following the dispute, Dyer left in a white car, only to return approximately five minutes later armed with a. 45-caliber handgun. He then chased Render up a driveway and shot him in the chest and back. Emergency services were called to the Brown Street home shortly before 10:30 p.m., where they found Render with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was transported to Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
A witness at the scene provided police with a description of the shooter and the vehicle, which officers located a short time later with the suspects inside. An anonymous tip later led investigators to Dyer's location, where he was arrested about 90 minutes after the shooting. The murder weapon, a. 45-caliber handgun, was discovered wrapped in a plastic bag near where Dyer was apprehended. Forensic analysis confirmed that Dyer's fingerprints were on the gun's magazine and that the bullets recovered from Render's body matched the weapon.
Charlestavious Dyer, who had a significant criminal history with over 30 prior arrests, was charged with murder, possession of a weapon during certain crimes, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. During his trial, a friend who was driving the car on the night of the murder altered his testimony, claiming Dyer acted in self-defense; however, the jury rejected this account as it conflicted with the physical evidence. Dyer did not testify and denied his involvement in the killing. After a week-long trial and less than two hours of deliberation, the jury found him guilty on all counts. Due to his status as a repeat offender, he received a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
