Man Pleads In Shooting That Killed His Girlfriend's Son: Gwinnett Prosecutors

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — A man has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to shooting and injuring his girlfriend and fatally shooting her son, Gwinnett County prosecutors said Thursday.

The Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office said Terrance Alonzo Washington, 44, of Americus, pled guilty to felony murder and two counts of aggravated assault in connection with the November 2023 shooting death of Deqwayvious Tremayne Kleckley, 19.

Kleckley's 46-year-old mother was injured in the shooting, which took place on Nov. 7 at a Lawrenceville home, prosecutors said.

The day of the shooting, the mother told police that Washington was intoxicated at her home and refused to leave, prosecutors said. She told dispatchers that he had a handgun and threatened to shoot officers who came into the house, prosecutors said.

When officers arrived, prosecutors said police told Kleckley and his mother to leave the home. As they were doing so, Washington followed them into the driveway, prosecutors said.

He then realized police were called and shot Kleckley in the head and his mother, prosecutors said. Kleckley died of his injuries, and the mother suffered severe injuries and memory loss, prosecutors said.

Washington then took the keys to Kleckley's pickup truck and fled the scene, but he was arrested shortly after abandoning the truck in Warner Robbins, police said.

After prosecutors showed surveillance footage to the judge but not the jury, they said Washington pled guilty to all charges.

He was sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years without the possibility of parole, prosecutors said.

“No mother should have to bury her son due to gun violence, and our hearts go out to this family as they grieve this young man’s loss,” Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said in a news release. “While this defendant accepted a non-negotiated plea, it cannot erase the tragedy his actions caused. We only hope the deceased victim’s family and loved ones can garner some degree of solace from this outcome.”