Man sentenced to life for murder of stranger who gave him ride to DeKalb County park

A DeKalb County jury has found a man guilty of murdering a stranger in a local park after the victim had given him a ride.

On April 24, the jury found 41-year-old Ryan Anson Carter guilty of malice murder, felony murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Investigators say the incident began on Aug. 23, 2020, when 29-year-old Jamal Cobb decided to help out Carter, who had been left by his girlfriend at a gas station on Gresham Road after an argument.

According to prosecutors, Cobb gave Carter a ride and let him use his phone to call his girlfriend.

The two men eventually ended up at Lithonia Park, close to Carter's girlfriend's house. It was there that officials say Carter shot Cobb multiple times, stole his vehicle, and drove to Lilburn, where he discarded Cobb's phone.

A woman walking her dog found Cobb's body in a pool of blood on the park's basketball court hours later. Investigators say they found a trail of blood leading to the park's back soccer field, where they found shell casings and projectiles.

On that afternoon, officials say that emergency medical services responded to reports of a person in distress on Interstate 85 southbound near Armour Drive. There, they found Carter and the victim's SUV. Officers later found a gun that matched the shell casings at the park, hidden in a duffel bag in the trunk of the SUV.

While Carter denied being involved in Cobb's shooting, authorities say he admitted to being at the gas station where the situation happened.

Following the jury's verdict, a DeKalb County judge sentenced Carter to two life sentences, plus five years to serve consecutively.