A Georgia man has been accused of heinously ramming his truck into his brother-in-law and killing him after the two engaged in a physical brawl during a family Christmas party gone wrong in Lawrenceville, Georgia on Saturday, Dec. 18.
Ernesto Pelayo, 34, has been charged with felony murder and aggravated assault after he plowed his truck into his brother-in-law Juan Davila, 41, and killed him following a contentious Christmas party on Windsor Oak Circle in unincorporated Lawrenceville, Georgia on Saturday morning, Daily News reported.
On late Friday, Dec. 17, the two men were reportedly attending a family gathering at a nearby home. During the party, however, the two reportedly got into a physical fight in the backyard of the residence. After the altercation, while Davila was standing in the roadway, Pelayo allegedly got into his car, struck Davila with his truck, and drove away.
Officers rushed to the scene after they received reports that a pedestrian was hit by a vehicle in the area. However, by the time law enforcement arrived, Pelayo had already fled the scene.
The cops found Davila lying in the street suffering from serious injuries and rushed him to a nearby hospital at around 5:15 a.m. He succumbed to his fatal injuries and died subsequently died at the facility. Investigators are still trying to determine what the fight was about initially and how both the victim and assailant ended up in the roadway, KRDO reported.
The authorities believe the incident was an intentional act and that they will be treating this as a homicide. Even though several people who were present at the party saw what happened, it remains unclear if children living in the home witnessed the violent incident as well.
Davila was last seen fleeing the incident in a black Dodge Ram 3500 with Georgia license plate TAT2291, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Meanwhile, Araceli Davila, the victim's daughter, said that the family can only hope for justice.
“My father had the kindest heart. He helped everyone he could. He was there for everyone and always had a loving smile,” she said. “He truly had a heart of gold and was incapable of holding a grudge. He loved me, my mother, and my siblings with all his heart and he was always there for us.”
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Ernesto Pelayo is asked to call 911 or Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477.
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