Two men have been given life sentences for the murder of a transgender woman, Skyler Gilmore, who was 25 at the time of her death in June 2021. JaQuan Brooks, aged 25, will serve Life with the Possibility of Parole along with a consecutive probation of five years, as ruled by DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Nora Polk. Meanwhile, Davonte Fore, 26, who was absent from the hearing and remains at large, was sentenced in absentia to Life with the Possibility of Parole and an additional 15 years of confinement. According to details from a release by the
DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office
, Fore has been missing since the initial days of his trial last month, turning him into a fugitive.
On October 4, after careful deliberation, jurors found both Brooks and Fore guilty of a string of charges including Malice Murder, Felony Murder, and additional firearms-related crimes. The charges were connected to the events leading up to the tragic shooting of Gilmore at an apartment complex in Stone Mountain. Despite state prosecutors’ objections, Fore had been released on bond pending trial and seemed to have chosen to suddenly flee just after his conviction, forcing Judge Polk to revoke his bond immediately and issue a bench warrant for his arrest. DeKalb County authorities have urged anyone with information on Fore’s whereabouts to swiftly come forward, reaching out to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit at 404-298-8132.
Gilmore’s death struck a chord with the local community, shedding light on the vulnerabilities faced by transgender individuals. Gilmore, whom officers found unresponsive with a fatal gunshot wound, was identified by a friend who had been on the phone with her moments before her death. The friend disclosed to police that Gilmore was engaged in survival sex, a desperate measure for those trying to meet their most basic needs. Investigators traced communications between Gilmore and Fore through her cell phone, unraveling the involvement of the two convicted men.
Evidence collected included texts and calls, and surveillance footage from the apartment complex showing Brooks and Fore arriving shortly before the murder took place. District Attorney Sherry Boston expressed a bittersweet sentiment, noting while they were “proud of the work of our team to secure convictions in this case, we know justice will not truly be served until Davonte Fore is in custody,” as stated in the
DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office
release. As the pursuit to apprehend Fore continues, the pursuit for justice in the heartbreaking case of Skyler Gilmore remains ominously incomplete.
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