On a Sunday evening in November 2014, an act of violence cut short the life of 18-year-old Nathaniel Lowe Jr. in southwest Atlanta. Inside his apartment on Windsor Street, Lowe was with two friends, 21-year-old Rondelrick Dukes and 19-year-old Leonard Guffie, when an assailant opened fire. The three young men fled for their lives, but Lowe succumbed to his injuries just a few feet outside the apartment complex.
Dukes and Guffie managed to reach a nearby store to get help and were transported to Grady Memorial Hospital in stable condition.
The investigation into the shooting revealed a potential motive rooted in gang-related activities. It was reported that Lowe was scheduled to testify against the 'Goodfellas' gang in an aggravated assault case. This led authorities to believe the shooting was an attempt to silence him. The investigation identified a suspect, D'angelo Tucker. Evidence, including text messages sent by Tucker after the murder where he allegedly admitted to shooting three people, played a role in the case against him.
Deangelo Tucker was subsequently arrested and charged with murder and other offenses related to the shooting. Following a trial, a jury found Tucker guilty on all counts, including the malice murder of Nathaniel Lowe Jr. He was sentenced to life in prison for the murder, with additional sentences for the other charges. Tucker later appealed his conviction, arguing insufficiency of evidence and errors by the trial court. However, the Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed his convictions in part, though the case was remanded for resentencing on one of the aggravated assault counts due to a sentencing error.
