Lawrenceville man gets life for shooting neighbor during dispute over puppies

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA – A 75-year-old Lawrenceville man was sentenced to life in prison for shooting and killing a neighbor who was walking his puppies, the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday, May 7.  

Stanley Nathaniel Elliott was found guilty of felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony for the February 2021 shooting death of 44-year-old Anthony Collins, who was walking his Jack Russell puppies in their neighborhood. The men got into an argument over the puppies, according to the investigation.   Elliott was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole, plus five years.

“Violence – and especially deadly violence – is not the answer for solving any dispute,” District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. “Our hope is that this outcome provides the victim’s friends and loved ones with some closure and a sense that justice has prevailed.”

Collins was walking his Jack Russell puppies on the afternoon of Feb. 25, 2021, in a neighborhood on Riverside Parkway in Lawrenceville. He encountered Elliott there, and after an altercation, Elliott fatally shot Collins. Police were able to identify the Elliott through video footage, and located the murder weapon at his home, hidden in a motorboat in his garage.

During the trial, jurors heard testimony that Elliott and Collins encountered one another in December 2020, and Elliot tried to hit the puppies with a metal rod he used to ward off stray dogs. The jury also saw surveillance footage showing a man resembling Elliott raising his arm to shoot after a short interaction with a man walking dogs.

Assistant District Attorney Nam Nguyen and Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Ryan Smith prosecuted the case with assistance from Investigator Benjamin Lucas and Victim Witness Advocate Trina Bradford. The Gwinnett County Police Department was invaluable in helping to prosecute this case.