Brian Sanchez Duarte Convicted of Execution-Style Killing

Brian Sanchez Duarte, a 32-year-old from Norcross, Georgia, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on November 20, 2025, after a Gwinnett County jury convicted him of malice murder for the execution-style shooting of 22-year-old Alinton Joel Rivera-Zuniga in November 2022. The jury reached its verdict in roughly two hours, and the judge imposed sentence the same day, adding five consecutive years for a firearm charge.¹²

What Happened the Night of the Shooting

In the early morning hours of November 27, 2022, Rivera-Zuniga was leaving the Alta Gama event hall in Norcross when he encountered Duarte and Jose Caraballo-Mendez sitting in a red SUV. Caraballo-Mendez, who had also been inside the event hall, offered him a ride. He accepted.¹

Duarte was in the front passenger seat. During the drive he grew agitated and, according to prosecutors, questioned whether Rivera-Zuniga had gotten into the SUV “with bad intentions.” Rivera-Zuniga stripped down to his underwear to show he was unarmed. It made no difference. The SUV stopped on a road near Estates Court. Duarte got out, walked around to the left side of the vehicle, ordered Rivera-Zuniga out, and shot him point-blank in the ear.² Duarte returned to the passenger seat and the SUV drove off, leaving Rivera-Zuniga in the road.¹

Gwinnett County police were called to Estates Court at approximately 6:45 a.m. and found Rivera-Zuniga with a gunshot wound to the head. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition and later died.³

How Duarte Was Identified and Arrested

Investigators identified Duarte after he was observed fleeing the scene in a maroon Nissan Pathfinder. Caraballo-Mendez, 28, the driver of the SUV, was taken into custody first. The Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office SWAT unit arrested him on January 19, 2023, on charges including felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.⁴

Duarte was arrested on May 4, 2023, and booked into the Gwinnett County jail on charges of felony murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm during the commission of certain crimes.⁵

The Trial

Managing Assistant District Attorney Drew Unger and Assistant District Attorney Ramika Gourdine-Palmer tried the case for the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors showed the jury security camera footage of the red SUV stopping on the road, Duarte stepping out of the passenger seat, and walking around to the driver’s side.¹

Caraballo-Mendez testified for the prosecution. He told the jury that Rivera-Zuniga had been nervous during the ride and stripped to his underwear to prove he posed no threat, and that he watched Duarte shoot him and then get back into the passenger seat before they drove away.⁶ Available reporting does not indicate whether Caraballo-Mendez had a formal plea agreement in exchange for his cooperation, and his own case has not been publicly detailed in connection with the trial.

The jury deliberated about two hours before finding Duarte guilty on all counts, including malice murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.²

The Sentence

On the afternoon of November 20, 2025, the judge sentenced Duarte to life in prison without the possibility of parole on the malice murder count, plus five consecutive years for the firearm count.²

1
Gwinnett County. Guilty Verdict Reached in Norcross Execution Killing
2
Atlanta News First. Norcross Man Found Guilty of Execution-Style Murder, Sentenced to Life in Prison
3
Gwinnett County. Homicide Estates Court – Man Found Shot Later Dies
4
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Police Fugitive Arrested Months After Fatally Shooting Man in Gwinnett
5
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Second Suspect Charged With Murder After Man Shot in Head Near Norcross
6
WSB Radio. Jury Reaches Verdict in Trial of Man Killed in Execution-Style Murder