In the spring of 2018, the life of 33-year-old Kevin Drew Gilman, a white male from Savannah, Georgia, was tragically cut short. On the evening of March 18th, a dispute between Gilman and a man he knew, 26-year-old Joshua DeMuro, escalated into a physical fight. The confrontation, which took place in the 8700 block of Hurst Avenue, ended when DeMuro fatally shot Gilman.
Emergency services were called to the scene around 9:30 p.m., but Gilman was pronounced dead from his injuries.
Kevin Gilman was a husband and a father to three children, with another child on the way. He worked as a stagehand and rigger for The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 320. Those who knew him remembered him as a man who would do anything for his friends and family.
The investigation into Gilman's death proceeded quickly. Savannah Police detectives determined that the shooting was not a random act of violence, as Gilman and DeMuro were acquainted. Following the incident, Joshua DeMuro was arrested and charged with murder. He was subsequently transported to the Chatham County Detention Center.
In April of 2018, a grand jury in Chatham County indicted Joshua DeMuro on charges of malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault. The case went to trial, and in 2023, a jury found DeMuro guilty of murdering Kevin Gilman. DeMuro's defense team appealed the conviction, arguing that the state had not sufficiently proven that the shooting was not an act of self-defense. However, the conviction was ultimately upheld.
