In a tragic turn of events, the life of 27-year-old Cristobal Becerras-Contreras was cut short in what began as a planned robbery in Rome, Georgia. On December 22, 2015, his body was discovered behind a duplex on Wood Creek Way, the victim of a fatal gunshot wound. The ensuing investigation by the Rome Police Department's Criminal Investigative Division quickly pointed to a homicide, unraveling a plot that involved three main individuals.
Within a day of the discovery, authorities had made their first arrests. Delaney Scott Ray, 20, and Kelesha Corron Dorsey, 19, were taken into custody and charged as parties to the crime of murder. The investigation revealed that the two women had conspired with a third individual, Kyle Anthony Strother, to commit an armed robbery against Becerras-Contreras. Tragically, the robbery escalated, and Becerras-Contreras was shot and killed during the commission of the crime. While Ray and Dorsey were apprehended, Strother, the alleged shooter, remained at large for a time before being captured. A fourth person, Marcus Antwon Townsend, was later indicted for making false statements to the police regarding his knowledge of the murder.
The legal proceedings that followed brought a measure of justice for the murder of Cristobal Becerras-Contreras. Kyle Anthony Strother, the man who pulled the trigger, was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. His co-conspirators, Delaney Scott Ray and Kelesha Corron Dorsey, both testified during Strother's trial. They ultimately pleaded guilty to reduced charges, including voluntary manslaughter, armed robbery, and aggravated battery. For her role in the deadly setup, Delaney Scott Ray was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Kelesha Corron Dorsey also entered a guilty plea to the same charges.
