Office of the DeKalb County District Attorney

Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit

Sherry Boston, District Attorney

LIFE SENTENCE FOR MAN CONVICTED IN AMBUSH KILLING OF GIRLFRIEND'S EX-BOYFRIEND

November 5, 2019

Victim Gunned Down in Front of Children Who Narrowly Escaped Injury

Decatur, Ga.- A man convicted in the deadly shooting of his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend, has been sentenced to life, plus 65 years in prison. 41-year-old Charvez Ryals was sentenced on Monday during court proceedings before DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Clarence F. Seeliger. Jurors returned guilty verdicts against Ryals following trial last Thursday on charges of Murder, Felony Murder (two counts), Aggravated Assault (five counts), Cruelty to Children in the Second Degree (two counts), and weapons offenses for the shooting death of 31-year-old Daniel Wise. A second shooting victim, Robbie Johnson, now 31, survived.

Wise was gunned down on March 10, 2018 outside of his ex-girlfriend, Regina Welch’s, Chupp Road home in Lithonia. He had driven to the home with a co-worker to pick up two of the three children he shared with Welch. Shortly after placing the kids in the backseat of the car, a brief argument ensued between the former couple. Meantime, Defendant Ryals, Ms. Welch’s new boyfriend, who had been watching the scene unfold out of sight in a nearby area,  approached the scene and ambushed the victim from behind-- first striking him in the head with a gun. As the victim began bleeding profusely, Defendant Ryals then fired 13 shots at the victim, striking him eight times.  The Defendant then fired several shots at the victim’s co-worker, Robbie Johnson, who was in the front passenger seat of the car. Mr. Johnson shielded the victim’s children from the gunfire by wedging himself between the two front seats. He sustained a gunshot wound to his spine, but survived.

Remarkably, Mr. Wise, though badly injured from multiple gunshot wounds,  was able to return to his car and drive a short distance before losing consciousness and crashing.

Defendant Ryals fled the scene but turned himself in three days later.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Leyna Pope with assistance from Senior Assistant District Attorney Simone Hylton, DA Investigator Craig Smith, and Victim Advocate Kiesha Rudolph. Detective D. McBride of the DeKalb Police Department led the initial investigation.