Friday, October 6, 2023

Sentencing Update: State v. Mustafic Mahadi

Decatur, Ga.- A Florida man has been sentenced to 30 years after his conviction for shooting and seriously injuring his former girlfriend in Brookhaven. 

Jurors returned guilty verdicts Thursday, September 28 against Mustafic Mahadi, 36, on charges of Aggravated Assault, Criminal Damage to Property in the First Degree, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon stemming from an incident on February 19, 2021. 

On Friday, DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Brian Lake, who presided over the trial, sentenced Mahadi to 30 years with the first 20 years to be served in confinement and the remaining 10 years on probation.  Under conditions of his probation, Mahadi cannot have any contact with the victim nor her family, cannot commit any acts of violence against women and cannot possess any firearms.

According to the investigation, Defendant Mahadi and the victim had broken up that day.  After hearing the news, the victim’s best friend went to spend the night with her at her apartment on Durden Drive. 

As the friends were getting ready for bed, Defendant Mahadi showed up to his former girlfriend’s apartment uninvited and started banging on the door, demanding that she let him in.  She refused and Defendant Mahadi told her to open the door before he kicked it in.  When the victim refused again, Defendant Mahadi began kicking the door, trying to break it down, which he had done in the past. 

The victim yelled through the door begging Defendant Mahadi to stop.  He then fired three shots through the apartment door, striking the victim twice in the abdomen and grazing her side with the third bullet. 

After firing the shots, Defendant Mahadi immediately fled.

The victim’s friend called 911 and officers with the Brookhaven Police Department responded.  Paramedics rushed the victim to the hospital where she underwent emergency surgery for her injuries.  She survived and told hospital staff about Defendant Mahadi’s history of domestic violence against her. 

Defendant Mahadi evaded capture for nearly three months until deputies with the U.S. Marshals Service tracked him down and arrested him in New York on May 3, 2021. 

The case, assigned to the Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Unit, was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Garrett Emmons with assistance from Senior ADA Whitney Reeves, DA Investigator Rosalyn Byrd, and Victim Advocate Ashley King.  Brookhaven Police Department Detective Leroy Howard led the initial investigation.