SUWANEE, Ga. — A Lawrenceville man has been sentenced to life in prison after a jury convicted him of killing a man during a robbery that stemmed from a social media gun sale.
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On Friday, the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office announced that Jermaine Dondi Rimson was found guilty of felony murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault and criminal attempt to commit a robbery in the July 19, 2022, shooting death of 21-year-old Abel Castellanos.
Rimson, who was 17 at the time of the crime and is now 21, was sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years.
Prosecutors said the case began when Castellanos posted on social media that he was trying to sell a .380-caliber handgun. Authorities said Miguel Gabriel Flores responded to the post and arranged to meet Castellanos at his Suwanee apartment under the guise of purchasing the gun.
Investigators later determined Flores planned to rob Castellanos instead.
According to evidence presented at trial, Flores recruited Rimson and then-17-year-old Joshua Poteat to assist in the robbery. Poteat allegedly served as the getaway driver.
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Prosecutors said the three traveled to the meeting location on the night of July 19, 2022. When Castellanos showed the handgun to Flores, Rimson got out of the vehicle and shot Castellanos in the chest, killing him.
Authorities said Rimson then took a second handgun from Castellanos before the group left the scene.
During the trial, jurors heard testimony from a woman who was riding in the SUV with the group as Poteat’s date and was unaware of the robbery plan, according to prosecutors. The jury was also shown text messages from Flores that prosecutors said demonstrated he orchestrated the robbery.
Flores was previously convicted in September 2025 of three counts of felony murder, theft by taking, aggravated assault and criminal attempt to commit a robbery for his role in planning the robbery. He was sentenced to life in prison.
“This case once again clearly shows that young people who delve into criminal activities and kill will not have a good result and will throw away their lives,” Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said in a statement.
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