DECATUR MAN SENTENCED TO LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE AFTER SHOOTING MAN IN EX-GIRLFRIEND’S DRIVEWAY

Friday, May 15, 2026

State v. Aaron La Var Beckles

Decatur, Ga.- DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announces a conviction by jury trial in the case against a Decatur man accused of shooting and killing a man who gave the Defendant's ex-girlfriend a ride home from work.

On Wednesday, May 13, 2026, a jury found Aaron La Var Beckles, 49, guilty on charges of Malice Murder, two counts of Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon stemming from the murder of Isaac Jackson, Jr., 47, on December 4, 2024.

According to the investigation, Defendant Beckles had been involved in a tumultuous romantic relationship with a woman for several months. The morning of the shooting, the woman blocked Beckles on her phone, but he continued to call and text her asking to see her and she ignored him.

That evening Jackson, who was friends with the woman, drove her home from work. Jackson pulled into the driveway where he and the woman sat and ate takeout for dinner. After finishing the meal, the woman got out of the car to go inside and noticed that Defendant Beckles had pulled into the driveway blocking in Jackson's car.

Defendant Beckles got out of his car and confronted his ex-girlfriend, knocking the takeout boxes in her hands to the ground. The woman ran to the house and as she waited for a family member to open the front door, she saw Defendant Beckles chasing Jackson. She then heard two gunshots and rushed inside where she heard several more shots.

The woman and her family immediately called 911 and identified the shooter as Defendant Beckles. When officers from the DeKalb County Police Department arrived a short time later, they found Jackson, Jr. deceased in the front seat of his car. Defendant Beckles had left the scene.

Police arrested Beckles two days later. A search of his phone revealed he had texted the woman minutes before the shooting to say "either call me back or I'm about to pull up." Defendant Beckles also texted the woman after the shooting saying, "I'm sorry i love you call me please." Cell phone data placed Defendant Beckles in the area of the woman's home at the time of the shooting.

Immediately following the guilty verdicts, DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Courtney L. Johnson, who presided over the trial, sentenced Defendant Beckles to serve Life Without the Possibility of Parole, plus five years.

The case, assigned to the Homicide and Gangs Unit, was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Helen Pott with assistance from Assistant District Attorney Aaron Brown, District Attorney Investigator Curtis Averhart and Victim Advocate Kaysha Albritton. DeKalb County Police Detective J. Posey led the initial investigation.