Murder suspect found guilty in shooting death of Savannah mother

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The Office of the Chatham County District Attorney announced the guilty verdict of Gerald Davis for the murder of a 30-year-old mother, Sylvasha Lester, in August of 2023.

Davis was arrested just a month after the shooting, in September of 2023.

His co-defendant is Erika Michelle Cox-Cody. Her case is still ongoing in the courts.

According to testimony, Davis and his friends got into a fight at a local club with another group. After police broke up the fight, an unflattering video of Davis was posted to social media.

Later that night, Davis was seen in a Facebook live recording threatening members of that group while driving by one of their homes.

The investigation discovered Davis later sent a text to a friend about getting a gun and making true on the threat.

On the night of August 6th, while Ms. Lester was at that house visiting with a friend, Davis is seen on surveillance camera walking up to the home and firing multiple shots at the house.

This all happened near the 4000 block of Boyd Street around 2 a.m. that Sunday.

Ms. Lester, who was sitting on the sofa at the time, was hit by the incoming bullets and died due to the injuries she received. The investigation revealed, the victim was not involved in the feuding from the night before.

Witnesses told detectives, when Davis learned of the death of Ms. Lester, his response was, “F—them h-. Wrong Place, wrong time.”

Overwhelming evidence from social media accounts and the defendant’s lack of remorse regarding the death of Ms. Lester was used to help the jury come back with the guilty verdict on all counts.

Sentencing for Mr. Davis has not yet been scheduled.