In the early hours of December 31, 2018, 22-year-old Maya Mitchell left the Decatur apartment she shared with her boyfriend. She had plans to meet a man named Malik to purchase a small amount of marijuana. When she failed to return home, she was reported missing. Later that New Year's Eve morning, a man taking a walk in Glen Emerald Park in DeKalb County made a grim discovery. On a sidewalk near the lake, he found Maya's body.
She had been shot once in the side of the head.
The investigation into the death of the young woman, a graduate of Shiloh High School, quickly led detectives to 25-year-old Malik Nunally. Though Nunally initially denied meeting with Mitchell, their connection was undeniable. Text messages between the two revealed their plan to meet, and cell tower records placed Nunally's phone in the vicinity of the park around the time the murder was believed to have occurred. An arrest warrant for Nunally was issued in mid-January 2019. At the time, he was already being held in the Fulton County jail on unrelated charges.
In September 2021, Malik Nunally, then 28, stood trial for the murder of Maya Mitchell. The jury found him guilty of murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and weapons offenses. During the trial, it was revealed that their relationship may have been more than transactional. Despite his denials, the evidence presented by the prosecution painted a clear picture of his involvement in her death. Following the guilty verdict, a DeKalb County Superior Court judge sentenced Nunally to life in prison plus an additional five years.
