Judge dubs man 'a hashtag fail' while doling out life sentence

A Stone Mountain, Georgia, man was found guilty Tuesday of a 2012 murder outside a Gwinnett County CVS store.

Jamad Jacque Wallace, 23, was sentenced to life in prison plus five years for the March 4, 2012, shooting death of Alex Delgado. Judge Timothy Hamil called Wallace’s life a “hashtag fail” and dubbed his version of the events that night “fantastical,” according to a news release from the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office.

Delgado and his girlfriend met Wallace outside the CVS store at Sugarloaf Parkway and Grayson Highway so (Delgado) could buy marijuana, according to the release. Wallace reportedly got into Delgado’s vehicle, pulled out a gun and demanded money instead.

Authorities believe Delgado got out of the car to confront Wallace, at which point Wallace shot him twice. One of the shots hit Delgado on the top of the head, and he later died at Gwinnett Medical Center.

During his trial, which began April 13, Wallace said the shooting was in self-defense. He testified that Delgado had sold him marijuana earlier in the day, and that he met up with him again after determining the drugs weren’t up to snuff.

Wallace testified that Delgado pulled a gun on him and the two struggled outside the car. He said he was forcing the gun away from himself when it went off and Delgado was shot.

Wallace was arrested in DeKalb County about five weeks after the shooting while riding in a car where several stolen guns, including the murder weapon, were found, according to the release. Ballistics testing matched one of the guns with the bullet recovered from Delgado’s head.

Wallace had a long criminal history in Gwinnett County, including five separate arrests between 2008 and 2011. He was charged with aggravated assault and armed robbery in 2008 and spent about 18 months in the Gwinnett County jail.

Gwinnett County Assistant District Attorney Nigel Lush prosecuted the murder case.