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Clayton County Superior Court in Jonesboro, Ga. (Google Maps).
A Georgia man was convicted of murder after a jury saw evidence from his own Instagram account that he planned to “pop and dip” right before shooting his victim.
Shamel Crowder, 24, was found guilty in Clayton County Superior Court on Dec. 30 following a trial that concluded on Dec. 20, three years to the day after the 2021 shooting death of Geoffrey Canty, 19. The same day as the verdict, Crowder was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole plus 25 years.
According to the district attorney’s office, Crowder met with Canty the afternoon of Dec. 20, 2021, so he could sell Canty a gun for the agreed-upon price of $300. But after Crowder got his payment, he shot Canty three times in the stomach with the gun he promised to sell to him. Crowder pocketed the money and the gun and left Canty to die in the parking lot of his workplace.
Two eyewitnesses to the crime were also arrested and tried as codefendants.
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Part of the state’s evidence against Crowder was from his own social media activity. The Clayton News-Daily reported that the DA presented Crowder’s own Instagram post, made minutes before the meeting between himself and Canty. In the post, Crowder reportedly said he planned to “pop and dip.” The post went online just minutes before Crowder shot Canty.
Crowder faced a number of charges related to the crime and was found guilty of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
More from Law&Crime: 14-year-old charged with murder after allegedly shooting 19-year-old in a gun purchase gone wrong
