CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A man charged with the murder of an Uber driver in Charlotte from 2017 will now spend the rest of his life in prison.
Diontray Adams was found guilty in court on Wednesday, Aug. 11, in the death of Marlo Johnis Medina-Chevez. He was charged with first-degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon.
According to a news release from the office of Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer B. Merriweather III, Adams was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Medina-Chevez reportedly left his home on May 20, 2017, to work as an Uber driver. Investigators say Adams and his codefendant, James Aaron Stevens, made a plan to rob an Uber driver that same day. Medina-Chevez picked up the two, and that's when investigators say Stevens pulled out a BB pistol, which looked like a real pistol, and pointed it at the driver.
According to officials, Medina-Chevez fought back and during the struggle, Adams pulled out a utility knife and slit the driver's throat.
After Medina-Chevez's family reported him missing, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers discovered his debit card had been used in Maryland. Authorities were tipped off that his Nissan Pathfinder had been seen near Chesapeake Bay Bridge on May 22, 2017. When Maryland law enforcement stopped the vehicle, Adams and Stevens were inside.
After analyzing phone records of the suspects, investigators learned the suspects were in Rock Hill, South Carolina, around the time of the murder.
Medina-Chevez's body was found in a field on May 25, 2017.
Stevens pled guilty to being in connection with the murder and he will be sentenced at a later date.
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