Man Dead, Robber Sentenced In 'Deadly Heist Gone Wrong': Gwinnett Prosecutors

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — One of two people accused of being part of a "robbing crew" were recently sentenced to prison after a third alleged crew member was fatally shot during an attempted armed robbery of a suspected drug dealer in Stone Mountain.

Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson's office announced the news Monday. Prosecutors called the case a "deadly heist gone wrong."

A jury convicted Geno Gerard Hall, Jr., 22, of murder and other charges stemming from an April 2023 attempted armed robbery and shooting that killed Leon Van Summers, Jr., 25, prosecutors said.

The crew - consisting of Hall, Summers and Myles Demonta Coston, 21 - allegedly arrived on April 23, 2023 at a Stone Mountain mobile home to steal money from a man, prosecutors said.

The man, who was shot in the shoulder and left arm, managed to retrieve his handgun and shoot once at Summers in the chest, killing him, prosecutors said. Hall and Coston then fled the scene, prosecutors said.

The man then called a friend to take him to the hospital, prosecutors said.

Summers' family searched for him that evening, a search that carried into the next morning. Prosecutors said his family reported him missing to police.

The man also called authorities the day after the shooting to report a home invasion, and when they arrived at his home, prosecutors said they found Summers dead in the living room.

“This victim’s death is tragic, and our sympathies are with his family and loved ones,” Austin-Gatson said in a news release. “Armed robberies are intolerable, and there are risks when people take part in them.”

Among those that took the stand during the trial was Summers' father, who prosecutors said testified that Hall answered Summers' phone when he called the night of the shooting.

The father testified that Hall told him, “we tried to hit a lick, it went south, gunshots were fired and everybody ran,” prosecutors said.

Additionally, prosecutors said the father testified that Hall told him the deadly incident happened at an Annistown Road mobile home park, where Summers was found dead.

Evidence used in the trial included cell phone records that prosecutors said placed Coston and Hall at the crime scene, traffic camera video that prosecutors said showed Coston's car both in Stone Mountain before the home invasion and leaving to head back to Barnesville.

Hall was convicted of felony murder, home invasion, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, prosecutors said. He was sentenced to life in prison plus five years of parole, prosecutors said.

Coston, who prosecutors said faces similar charges as Hall, will later be tried.

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