Search underway for man convicted of murder who fled during trial, authorities say
DECATUR, Ga. — Authorities searched Wednesday for a man who jumped bail during his trial but was still convicted of shooting a transgender woman in Georgia.
The DeKalb County Prosecutor’s Office said Davonte Fore and Jaquan Brooks were found guilty on October 4 in the June 4, 2021, death of Skyler Gilmore at her apartment in a complex in Stone Mountain, Georgia.
Prosecutors said DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Nora Polk released Fore, 26, on bail pending trial, despite their objections. While he was present at the start of the trial, Fore fled before the trial ended and is now considered a fugitive. A warrant was issued for his arrest.
A jury still found him and Brooks, 25, guilty of malice murder, two counts of murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
“This is why our office works hard to have bonds denied in these types of cases, but it is not our decision to grant bonds,” Jacques Spencer, an investigator with the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office, told WAGA TV.
Brooks is in custody.
Through the investigation, detectives learned that Fore and Brooks were members of a local gang that ordered them to kill Gilmore, 25, after discovering her involvement with another member of the gang, the DA’s office said of justice in a press release.
Detectives used phone records and surveillance video to link Fore and Brooks to the crime.
“Our focus is to get him into custody. We believe that he is a danger to society and that the victim’s family also deserves to be able to face him in court if he is convicted for what he has done,” said Spencer.
The victim’s father, Chauncey Gilmore, told the television station he was grateful for the verdict.
“I have peace and I will have a lot more of it if they catch this guy too,” he said.
Anyone with information on Fore’s whereabouts is asked to contact the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office.
Meanwhile, sentencing for both men has not yet been scheduled. Polk has said she will schedule a hearing for both defendants in the coming weeks.