On an August evening in 2016, a 22-year-old Hispanic man named Lucio Vasquez was fatally shot in what authorities believe was a planned robbery disguised as a drug transaction. The incident took place at the Sloan Square Apartments on LaVista Road in Atlanta, Georgia. Vasquez had instructed a 19-year-old woman to drive him to the location, where two younger males were waiting for them.
Upon their arrival, the two individuals, later identified as 18-year-old Benjamin Carpenter and
15-year-old Christian Hernandez, entered the vehicle. An altercation ensued, during which Carpenter brandished a handgun and shot Vasquez in the side and head. The two assailants then fled the scene. The female driver rushed Vasquez to a nearby hospital, but he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
Investigators, aided by DNA evidence found in the car, were able to identify and apprehend the suspects. Both Carpenter and Hernandez were arrested and faced charges of murder and aggravated assault. The subsequent legal proceedings revealed that the duo had orchestrated a plan to rob Vasquez under the guise of purchasing marijuana from him.
Benjamin Carpenter was convicted by a DeKalb County jury of felony murder, criminal attempt to commit armed robbery, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. He was sentenced to life in prison. His accomplice, Christian Hernandez, entered a guilty plea to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter and received a 30-year sentence, with 25 years to be served in confinement. Carpenter later appealed his conviction, but the Georgia Supreme Court upheld the original verdict.
