Search underway for man convicted of murder who fled during trial, authorities say

By The Associated Press

DECATUR, Ga. (AP) — Authorities searched Wednesday for a man who jumped bail during his trial but was still convicted in the shooting death of a transgender woman in Georgia.

The DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office said Davonte Fore and Jaquan Brooks were found guilty Oct. 4 in the June 4, 2021, death of Skyler Gilmore at her apartment in a complex in Stone Mountain, Georgia.

Prosecutors said DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Nora Polk in February released Fore, 26, on bond pending trial, despite their objections. While he was present for the beginning of the trial, Fore fled before its conclusion and is now considered a fugitive. A bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

A jury still found him and Brooks, 25, guilty of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

“This is why our office works hard to get bonds denied in cases like this, but it’s not our decision to grant bond,” Jacques Spencer, an investigator with the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office, told WAGA-TV.

Brooks is in custody.

Through the investigation, detectives learned Fore and Brooks were members of a local gang which had ordered them to kill Gilmore, 25, after it was discovered she was involved with another member of the gang, the district attorney’s office said in a news release.

Detectives used phone data and surveillance video to link Fore and Brooks to the crime.

“Our focus is getting him in custody. We feel that he’s a danger to society and also the victim’s family deserves to be able to face him in court when he is sentenced for what he did,” Spencer said.

The victim’s father, Chauncey Gilmore, told the television station that he was thankful for the verdict.

“I have peace and I’ll have much more of that when they catch this guy too,” he said.

Anyone with information on Fore’s whereabouts is asked to contact the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office.

Meanwhile, sentencing for both men has not yet been scheduled. Polk has said she will schedule a hearing for both defendants in the coming weeks.