DECATUR, GA — DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announced that Dante Lamar Daugherty, 44, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree cruelty to children in connection with the 2023 death of his 7-year-old son, Z’ayre Daugherty.
On September 4, 2023, DeKalb County police responded to a gas station on Rock Chapel Road in Lithonia after reports of a shooting. Officers found Daugherty in the back seat of his SUV holding Z’ayre, who had been shot in the head. EMS pronounced the child dead at the scene. A firearm and shell casing were recovered from the vehicle.
Investigators determined that Daugherty left his two sons—ages 7 and 5—inside the car after placing his loaded handgun under the driver’s seat. Surveillance video showed movement in the back seat before the flash of gunfire. Authorities believe one of the children accidentally discharged the weapon, though it was unclear which child fired the shot…