On a Wednesday morning, November 2, 2016, 23-year-old Jabari Pettway of Duluth was found dead in the grass beside a private driveway in an unincorporated area of Snellville, Georgia. A worker patrolling a nearby pasture discovered him unresponsive and authorities determined Pettway had died of multiple gunshot wounds.

Investigators initially had no suspects or clear motive. A friend suggested robbery as a possibility because Pettway was known for wearing brand-name clothing and was studying to be a barber. Days after the discovery, Pettway’s stolen Dodge Avenger was recovered in southwest Atlanta, heavily damaged and burned; that recovery led police to an acquaintance of the victim.

Police arrested 25-year-old Melvin Kent Roberts Jr. of Lawrenceville and charged him with murder, aggravated assault, terroristic threats, theft by taking of a motor vehicle, and parole and probation violations. After a weeklong trial in May 2018, a jury found Roberts guilty of murder, aggravated assault, and theft; prosecutors presented evidence that Roberts killed Pettway, stole his car, and burned it. Did anyone who knew Jabari or his circle notice anything suspicious around late October or early November 2016?