In the predawn hours of October 17, 2016, Dewayne Chronister, a 50-year-old male cab driver, was working on what was supposed to be his day off. An employee of the Warrior Cab Company in Columbus, Georgia, he was dispatched to the Mystic Food Mart on Brown Avenue to pick up two fares. The individuals who entered his taxi that morning were Dontavis Paige Screws, age 20, and Devin Trashawn Durden, age 21.
They directed Chronister to the Parkwood Mobile Home Park located on Farr Road.
Upon reaching a secluded cul-de-sac within the mobile home park between 4:00 and 5:30 a.m., the ride took a tragic turn. Chronister was shot in the head, and his assailants fled after stealing his cellphone and wallet. A resident of the mobile home park, on his way to work, discovered Chronister's body slumped over in his cab and alerted the authorities. The investigation that followed quickly pointed to Screws and Durden as the primary suspects in the fatal robbery.
The subsequent investigation led to the arrests of not only Screws and Durden but also a third individual, 21-year-old Jasmine Thomas. Thomas was accused of being involved in orchestrating the events that led to Chronister's murder. Dontavis Paige Screws was charged with murder, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, to which he pleaded not guilty. Devin Trashawn Durden faced similar charges, with Screws identifying him as the shooter.
During the legal proceedings, Devin Durden was found guilty of felony murder, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, though he was acquitted of malice murder. He received a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole, with additional years for the other charges. An appeal was later filed in Durden's case, which resulted in the Supreme Court of Georgia upholding the majority of his convictions, although the armed robbery conviction was vacated as it merged with the felony murder charge. Dontavis Paige Screws and Jasmine Thomas also faced the judicial system for their alleged roles in the crime.
