A felon who fatally shot a gas station owner in northwest Georgia is headed back to prison after being convicted of murder.
Lamar Rashad Nicholson was sentenced to life in prison without parole plus five yeas for killing Parmjit Singh Dhrim, a 44-year-old father of two, at a store in Rome in February of last year, the Rome News-Tribune reported.
Nicholson received an additional life sentence for a shooting and robbery at a second store just a few minutes later.
Police said Nicholson started his crime spree Feb. 5, 2018, at Dhrim’s Hi Tech Quick Stop store on Burnett Ferry Road, then immediately went to Elm Street Food and Beverage on North Elm Street and shot and robbed the clerk, 30-year-old Parthey Patel, leaving him in critical condition.
MORE: Shooting rampage at convenience stores leaves 1 dead, another critically injured
Nicholson, who was a 29-year-old welder at the time, was arrested after the second incident during a traffic stop. Police said they found a gun and a large amount of cash in the car.
He was indicted last May on murder, aggravated assault and armed robbery charges.
Four members of Dhrim’s family and two people who were in the store at the time of the shooting addressed Nicholson in court before his sentencing Tuesday, the News-Tribune reported.
MORE: Store owner killed in double shooting remembered as kind, hardworking
When Floyd County Superior Court Judge Bryant Durham later asked Nicholson if he understood the sentence, he said no and started to address the court, saying, “That's not how it went down,” the newspaper reported.
Several of his supporters even shouted from the back of the courtroom, prompting the judge to admonish them and eventually charge one man, Cedric Nicholson, with contempt of court.
The newspaper reported that Nicholson flashed an obscene gesture toward the judge as he was led out of the courtroom, to which Durham replied, “Is that your IQ?”
The shooting came just a few weeks after Nicholson was arrested and charged with violently snatching his 3-year-old daughter by the arm, according to a sheriff’s office report. He faced charges of child cruelty, disorderly conduct and simple battery in connection with that incident. It’s not clear if those charges were pursued by the district attorney.
Nicholson served time in prison for criminal damage in the first degree and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to Georgia Department of Corrections records.
Dhrim previously drove limousines in New York before getting into the convenience store business in Michigan. He moved to Georgia about six years ago and bought two stores in Rome. He and his wife of 20 years had just bought a house, which his family said was one of his lifetime goals.
In other news:
About the Author
