A Stone Mountain man will spend the rest of his life in prison after a jury found him guilty of shooting two teenage sisters, killing one and leaving the other wounded. One of the girls begged for her life before the gunshots ended.

DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced that 23-year-old Malachi Coleman was convicted Thursday on charges including malice murder, felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

The case stems from a shooting on January 2, 2023, in a Stone Mountain neighborhood on Arbor Ridge Drive. 

When DeKalb County Police arrived, they found 19-year-old Jayce Pirtle dead from a gunshot wound to the head. Her 16-year-old sister was seriously injured but survived.

According to investigators, the two sisters were walking home when a man dressed in black confronted them. The surviving teen later told police the man was Coleman, someone they knew, and that her sister begged him not to shoot.

Security camera footage backed up her account. Investigators said the video showed Coleman chasing the girls, shooting the younger sister twice, then running after Jayce. The audio captured Jayce's desperate cries: "Malachi, stop, please… please, Malachi, no!" — followed by two more gunshots.

Prosecutors said Coleman had been dating a friend of the victims and became angry after an argument the day before the shooting. He was reportedly upset that his girlfriend spent New Year's Eve with the sisters and their relatives instead of him.

After the verdict, Judge Yolanda Parker-Smith sentenced Coleman to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Ryan Patrick, with assistance from Senior ADA Kara Roberts, DA Investigator Jarrod Browder, and Victim Advocate LaTonya Gates. Detective A. Crowe with the DeKalb County Police Department led the investigation.