A 19-year-old from Lawrenceville has been sentenced to life in prison in the 2022 shooting death of another teen in Lawrenceville.
The Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office announced this week that Miguel Gabriel Flores was found guilty on three counts of felony murder, theft by taking, aggravated assault and criminal attempt to commit a robbery for the July 2022 incident. The District Attorney's Office said Flores, then 16, shot Abel Castellanos, age 16 of Suwanee, while the two and others were meeting to conduct a gun sale at Castellanos' apartment.
"Castellanos announced on social media that he was trying to sell a .380 handgun," the District Attorney's Office said. "Flores responded to the social media post and arranged to meet at Castellanos' apartment in Suwanee to purchase the gun. But Flores' true intention was to rob the victim at gunpoint."
Flores, along with Joshua Poteat and Jermain Rimson, who both are also facing charges and are set to be tried at later dates, confronted Castellanos, with Castellanos being shot in the chest during the exchange.
"During the trial, the jury heard testimony from a woman riding in the SUV with the trio who was there as Poteat's date but unaware of the plans," the District Attorney's Office said. "The jury also saw text messages from Flores showing that he planned the robbery."
Flores was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
