In April 2023, James Edward Thomas was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole, plus an additional 105 years, for the murder of Houston rapper Corey Detiege, known as Chucky Trill.

The incident occurred on March 5, 2021, when Detiege was fatally shot on Interstate 85 near Atlanta while visiting for the NBA All-Star Game. Investigators determined that Thomas harbored a grudge against Detiege due to a failed drug deal in Houston the previous year. Utilizing traffic cameras, license plate scanners, and cell phone data, authorities traced Thomas’s movements, revealing he had followed Detiege from nightclubs to the interstate location where the shooting occurred. Thomas was arrested in December 2021 at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. A jury found him guilty of malice murder, aggravated assault, and firearm charges, leading to his sentencing in Gwinnett County.

Categories Deaths