The man who shot a prospective father opened the wrong car door at a gas station this week and signed a plea deal this week.
The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office sentenced Dericole Daniel to 25 years in prison, of which he would spend a small portion of the prison.
“It’s a slap for us,” said Tibitha Dunnaville. “It’s like my son isn’t worth the world, I’m not happy.”
Her son, Trayvon Dunnaville, 26, died on December 12, 2022.
He and his pregnant fiancé parked at the Shell gas station on the old National Highway near Jonesboro Rd. After he finished his work.
He walked into the store to buy things. She was waiting in the car.
When he returned outside, he accidentally walked into a car similar to his fiancé and opened the door on a nearby gas pump.
That was when Daniel, the driver of the car, shot him four times.
“I’m pretty sure there are a lot of people walking into the wrong car, but they’re not shot,” Dunnerville said.
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Daniel’s defense attorney Jasmine Blake-Stewart sent a statement to Channel 2 that said in a way: “Mr. Daniel reasonably believed that he was about to be robbed and worried about his life, so he released the gun so that he had what he had legally.”
Daniel’s lawyer said the grand jury initially charged him with felony murder, which was sentenced to life imprisonment. So when the prosecutor offered him a deal to plead guilty to voluntary homicide, he accepted it. He will be in prison for five years and spend 20 years on probation as part of his 25-year prison sentence. The judge said he could shorten the probation to achieve good behavior.
“Then the judge asked him when he wanted to hand in. I’ve never heard of one day of my life,” Dunnerville said.
The plea agreement allows Daniel to self-report to the Fulton County Jail by September 2.
Former prosecutors say this is an unusual condition in such a fatal criminal case.
Channel 2 Action News Contacted the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office. We are waiting for the reply.
