DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A 29-year-old DeKalb County woman has been sentenced to life in prison plus five years after being convicted in the 2020 shooting death of her former boyfriend.
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On Friday, a DeKalb County jury found Teryn Blakeney, 29, of Stone Mountain, guilty of felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during a crime. Jurors acquitted her of malice murder after about two hours of deliberation.
A judge sentenced Blakeney to life in prison plus five years.
The case was prosecuted by the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office after the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office recused itself.
The charges stem from an investigation by DeKalb County police into a shooting on August 9, 2020, near the for
Officers responded to a 911 call reporting a person shot. The victim, Dalvin Dishawn Thomas, 24, was found on a path behind the building suffering from a single gunshot wound to his femoral artery. Before being taken to the hospital, Thomas identified Blakeney as the shooter.
He later died from his injuries.
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Investigators determined Blakeney and Thomas had dated for about nine months before ending their relationship. On the night of the shooting, Blakeney asked Thomas to meet her at her apartment. Prosecutors said the two argued and that Blakeney later described herself as ‘enraged.’
After Thomas left the apartment, authorities said Blakeney armed herself with a loaded .40 caliber handgun and drove around searching for him. She found him outside the food mart and fired one shot, hitting him from behind as he walked away. She then left the scene, according to prosecutors.
“At a time when the relationship had ended, the defendant chose to escalate an argument into deadly violence. She armed herself, sought out the victim, and shot him as he walked away. Her actions left him to die alone on a dark path, and today’s sentence recognizes the devastating loss her choices inflicted,” said Assistant District Attorney Alana Driscoll, of the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office.
At sentencing, Thomas’ mother and aunt addressed the court, describing the profound loss Thomas’ death has caused their family, stating that nothing will make up for their life sentence of grief.
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