A Gwinnett County man will spend the rest of his life in prison after being convicted in a 2022 “execution-style” murder, according to the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors said Brian Sanchez Duarte, 32, was found guilty of malice murder in connection with the killing of Alinton Joel Rivera-Zuniga on Nov. 27, 2022.
Investigators said Duarte and Rivera-Zuniga were both at the Alta Gama event hall in Norcross before the murder.
After leaving the event, Rivera-Zuniga and another man, Jose Caraballo-Mendez, offered Duarte a ride. Caraballo-Mendez testified during the trial that Duarte, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, became paranoid and believed Rivera-Zuniga had a gun.
Caraballo-Mendez told the court that Rivera-Zuniga even stripped down to his underwear to show he wasn’t armed.
Prosecutors presented video footage showing the car stopping on the road before Duarte got out, walked to the back seat, and made Rivera-Zuniga step out. Duarte then pressed a gun to his ear and shot him at point-blank range, prosecutors said.
Video also showed Duarte getting back into the car before it drove away, leaving the victim dead in the street.
The jury deliberated for about two hours before finding Duarte guilty.
A judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus five additional years.
