A 22-year-old has learned his fate after he was involved in a Gwinnett County home invasion that backfired and cost his friend his life.
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On Monday, a Gwinnett County jury found Geno Gerard Hall, 22, guilty of felony murder, home invasion, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony for the April 2023 shooting.
On April 23, 2023, Geno Gerard Hall, 22, Leon Van Summers, Jr., 25, and Myles Coston broke into Elias Renderos’ Stone Mountain home to steal money.
According to police, Renderos was shot twice, in the shoulder and the left arm, while reaching for his handgun.
Renderos fired a single shot that hit Summers in the chest, according to authorities.
Hall and Coston ran away. Renderos also ran and called a friend to take him to the hospital.
The Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office said, Summers’ family began to search for him that evening and eventually called the police to report him missing. They continued searching into the morning.
Renderos called the police the next day from the hospital to report the home invasion. Investigators arrived at the home and found Summers dead in the living room.
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During the trial, Summers’ father testified that when he called his son’s cellphone the night of the shooting, Hall answered. Summers’ father told the jury that Hall said, “We tried to hit a lick, it went south, gunshots were fired, and everybody ran.” Hall also Summers’ father that the shooting occurred at a mobile home park off Annistown Road, where Summers was found dead.
Court documents revealed that prosecutors showed jurors evidence of cellphone records that placed Hall near the crime scene. Camera footage also shows Coston’s car in the Stone Mountain area before the home invasion, and leaving to return to Barnesville, Ga.
Hall was sentenced to life in prison, plus five years of parole.
Coston faces similar charges and will be tried at a later date.
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