ATHENS, Ga. — Three men have been convicted in the 2024 drive-by shooting that killed a 3-year-old boy in Athens.
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Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced Thursday that Desmontrez Mathis, 24, Jayden Brown, 18, and Dakious Echols, 20, were all found guilty in connection with the murder of Kyron Santino Zarco Smith.
The child was shot on March 8, 2024, while watching television inside his home at Hallmark Mobile Home Park in Athens. Investigators say the shooting was part of a gang-related attack targeting rivals. A 9-year-old boy was also hit by gunfire and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Prosecutors say the three defendants, members of a local gang known as Everybody Eats (EBE), drove to the neighborhood intending to target a rival gang in an effort to increase their status within EBE. Instead, their gunfire struck the home where Kyron was sitting.
Brown and Echols both pleaded guilty on Jan. 8 and were each sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole, plus additional prison time and probation.
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Mathis was found guilty by an Athens-Clarke County jury on Feb. 4 on multiple charges, including malice murder, aggravated assault, gang activity violations, and firearms offenses. His sentencing is scheduled for a later date.
“While nothing can bring Kyron back, we hope this outcome provides his family with some sense of peace and the justice they deserve,” Carr said in a statement. “This was a senseless shooting that should have never occurred.”
The case was prosecuted by Georgia’s Gang Prosecution Unit, which was created in 2022 to combat rising gang violence. The unit partnered with the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the FBI’s Atlanta field office.
Officials say those efforts have helped lead to nearly 20 convictions and a roughly 65% drop in shootings in Athens since the unit was formed.
“This heartbreaking case reminds us of the devastating impact gang violence has on innocent families and entire communities,” said Peter Ellis, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Kyron should still be here today.”
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Athens-Clarke County Police Chief Jerry Saulters also praised investigators and expressed condolences to the family.
“Senseless acts of violence will not be tolerated in our community,” Saulters said. “To the family of Kyron Zarco, our entire community extends our deepest condolences.”
Authorities say one additional defendant, Julian Cubillos, still faces charges in the case. His case remains active and ongoing.
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