Gwinnett Road Rage Murderer Sentenced To Life In Prison

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA -- An Alabama man has been convicted of murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in Gwinnett County and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Demetrius Heade, 32, was found guilty of killing Michael Harvey, who was found Nov. 10, 2016, lying in the northbound lane of Button Gwinnett Drive with a gunshot wound to his chest. According to witnesses, he had been involved in a random traffic accident with a minivan. The victim then approached the driver of the other car when Heade shot him in the chest with a 30/30 Lever Action Winchester rifle. The other vehicle, a Honda minivan, drove a short distance where it became disabled and was left behind. The murder weapon was found in a ditch a short distance away from Heade’s vehicle.

Officers determined the car had been stolen in a carjacking where Levister Brinnon had been shot and killed several days before in the state of Alabama. After speaking with Alabama detectives, detectives were able to identify Demetrius Heade and his girlfriend Tilisha Tate as persons of interest since both were seen on Alabama surveillance footage using Brinnon’s credit cards shortly after his murder, as well as driving his minivan. Surveillance footage of businesses near the Gwinnett scene showed both Heade and Tate driving the stolen vehicle and purchasing the items found in the abandoned car. Officers issued photos of Heade and Tate to local law enforcement officers and both were arrested the next day.

After initial questioning by law enforcement, both Heade and Tate denied any involvement in the death of Michael Harvey. Once Tate was transported back to Alabama, she told Alabama detectives that Heade had shot and killed Michael Harvey after the accident from the front driver’s seat and through the closed driver’s side window. She also told detectives that Heade had shot and killed Brinnon out of anger and then stole his vehicle which they drove to Georgia. Tate testified during the trial of Heade. Her charges are still pending at this time. The jury deliberated a little over an hour before returning a verdict of guilty on all counts. The case was investigated by the Gwinnett County Police Department and prosecuted by ADA Sabrina Nizam. Heade was represented by Lawrenceville attorney Matt Crosby.

Gwinnett County Judge Randy Rich sentenced Heade.