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LAWRENCEVILLE, GA – A Jonesboro man was sentenced to life in prison for killing a man during an illegal gun deal.
A Gwinnett County jury on Friday, March 27, found Righteous Love Williams, 23, guilty of felony murder, armed robbery, reckless conduct, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony for the September 2023 shooting death of 19-year-old Michael Paul Maddox II.
Williams was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus five years.
“We grieve with the family of Mr. Maddox,” District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. “Our hope is that this outcome gives his loved ones some solace and a sense of justice.”
On Sept. 17, 2023, Maddox met with Williams to exchange pistols. Maddox had an AR pistol that he planned to trade for a Glock handgun with a switch – a device that would make the handgun automatic – that Williams purportedly had.
Evidence presented during the trial showed that Williams intended to rob Maddox of the AR pistol. When the two met in a Lawrenceville neighborhood cul-de-sac, jurors learned that Williams fired at Maddox through an open car door window, and Maddox attempted to block the gunshot.
Maddox later died from the gunshot wound, and Williams claimed he fired the gun on accident.
The jury returned the verdict in less than three hours. The judge handed down the life sentence because Williams had a violent criminal history.
Managing Assistant District Attorney Diamond Johnson and Assistant District Attorney Don Geary prosecuted the case with the aid of Investigator Kelly Perkins and Victim Witness Advocate Marilucia Munoz. The DA’s Office said the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office and the Gwinnett County Police Department were invaluable in helping to prosecute this case.