After firing the fatal shot, he went looking for favors from his mother.
On his 20th birthday, Carlos Eduardo Morales-Gallardo had just killed his cousin in Brookhaven and wanted money to flee to Mexico; instead, the mother told him to stay and face what he'd done, according to the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office.
He was soon arrested on a murder charge in the Nov. 28, 2015 death of Nicolas Morales-Garcia, 20.
This Thursday, Morales-Gallardo surprised prosecutors during a pre-trial hearing by suddenly pleading guilty to felony murder.
He had claimed the shooting, which left his cousin dead with a gunshot to the head on Buford Highway, was an accident.
“However, according to the investigation, and the Defendant’s own confession to family, he shot the victim over a $400 debt,” said Yvette Jones, district attorney’s office spokeswoman.
Judge Courtney Johnson sentenced him to life in prison, which will give him a chance to seek parole after 30 years.
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