A 21-year-old woman, Nyla Foster, had recently moved from Lakeland, Florida, to the Atlanta area with a couple of friends, full of hope and looking forward to a new chapter. She was known by her friends as an uplifting person who always carried a smile. However, her life was tragically cut short on October 22, 2016, in a parking lot in Lithia Springs, Georgia. The fatal incident stemmed from a dispute with her friend and roommate, 21-year-old Shontori Gooden, over a man.
On that Saturday, Foster and Gooden were with a third roommate picking up a friend from work when an argument broke out between them concerning Gooden's boyfriend. A friend intervened and broke up the initial altercation, believing everything had calmed down. However, the conflict escalated dramatically when Gooden retrieved a gun from a car, chased after Foster, and shot her in the thigh. After shooting her, Gooden then jumped on top of Foster and repeatedly beat her in the face and head before fleeing the scene and disposing of the weapon.
A friend who heard Nyla screaming her name rushed to her side and found her on the ground bleeding. The friend attempted to drive the wounded Foster to the hospital but soon flagged down a deputy for assistance. Paramedics were called, and Foster was transported to WellStar Cobb Hospital. She had suffered a fractured femur and a perforated femoral artery, and she ultimately succumbed to her injuries at the hospital.
Authorities immediately began a search for Shontori Gooden, who had gone on the run. She was located and arrested two weeks later on November 1, 2016, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Gooden waived extradition and was brought back to Douglas County, Georgia, to face charges. In May 2017, a jury convicted Shontori Gooden of murder for the shooting death of her friend, Nyla Foster. She was subsequently sentenced to life in prison. In 2019, Gooden's attempt to appeal her conviction was denied by the Supreme Court of Georgia.
