On a late Saturday morning in Hiram, Georgia, the life of 18-year-old Katherine Mailne Castillo-Martinez, a Hispanic female, was tragically cut short. On June 24, 2023, Paulding County deputies responded to multiple 911 calls reporting numerous gunshots in the Nebo Ridge Estates mobile home community. Upon their arrival at a mobile home on Barbee Path, they discovered Castillo-Martinez inside with gunshot wounds. Emergency personnel treated her at the scene before she was rushed to a local hospital, where she ultimately succumbed to her injuries.
Investigators soon determined that a dispute involving several individuals at the mobile home had preceded the fatal shooting. In the days that followed, the Paulding County Sheriff's Office identified 19-year-old Devon Michael Gandy of Dallas, Georgia, as the primary suspect in the murder of Castillo-Martinez. Authorities issued warrants for his arrest and cautioned the public that Gandy, who has an identical twin brother not involved in the incident, was to be considered armed and dangerous.
The search for Gandy involved the U.S. Marshals Service Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force and the Paulding County Sheriff's Office. The manhunt concluded on July 12, 2023, when Devon Michael Gandy turned himself in to authorities at the Paulding Sheriff's Office without incident. He was arrested and charged with murder in connection with the shooting death of Katherine Castillo-Martinez. Gandy is currently being held in the Paulding County Jail with no bond as the investigation continues, with authorities suggesting that more suspects and charges could be forthcoming as the case develops.
