Willian Tunchez Murder: Trial, Verdict, and Supreme Court Appeal

The Willian Tunchez murder was the October 7, 2018 shooting death of a 21-year-old Lawrenceville, Georgia man during a robbery carried out by members of the Gangster Disciples street gang in Suwanee. Three teenagers were arrested within days. Two of them, Nicholas Evans and Khalil Demonte Miller, were convicted of malice murder, armed robbery, and gang-related offenses, and the Supreme Court of Georgia affirmed those convictions on September 30, 2025.¹

The Night of the Killing

Tunchez had arranged through social media to meet Franecha Torres for a sexual encounter in exchange for $300. Surveillance footage from a nearby convenience store showed him withdrawing cash from an ATM at roughly 7:40 p.m. He then drove to a pathway leading into a wooded area near the Suwanee home of Nicholas Evans.¹

A neighbor reported hearing a single gunshot at about 8:00 p.m. Tunchez was killed by a hollow-point round fired into the right side of his neck from six to eight inches away. His wallet, cell phone, and cash were gone, and his car was found parked down the street. The next morning, children playing in the neighborhood discovered his body on stairs along the pathway, in heavy woods not visible from the road. His father had already reported him missing.¹²

A Weekend of Gang Robberies

Tunchez’s killing was the last in a string of armed robberies committed between October 5 and October 7, 2018, all within walking distance of Evans’s home. On October 5, William Yeon and Joshua Wei were robbed of a watch, an iPhone, and a vape. Around 12:30 a.m. on October 6, Kameron Russell was robbed of his wallet, iPhone, and a custom baseball hat. Just after midnight on October 7, Jocques Arrington was robbed of small items including headphones and cigarillos. Later that evening, Tunchez was shot.¹

Roughly ten teenagers spent that weekend at Evans’s house. Khalil Miller, then 18 and identified at trial as a “big homie” or leader in the Gangster Disciples, instructed lower-ranking members to “put in work” by committing robberies for the gang. Two associates, Jaleel Grant and Manuel Davila, were formally initiated into the gang that same weekend. Searches of the defendants’ homes turned up stolen items, cash, phones, and handwritten rap lyrics from Evans’s bedroom that appeared to describe the killing, including the line “Hollow tips rip through his neck; Delete the body then hide the shotty.” A state gang expert testified that the lyrics used terminology specific to the Gangster Disciples.¹

Arrests and Indictment

Gwinnett County police arrested Evans, then 17, Franecha Torres, also 17, and Miller on October 12, 2018, initially on armed robbery and aggravated assault charges tied to the weekend robberies. On October 15, felony murder charges were added in connection with Tunchez’s death.³

On February 27, 2019, a Gwinnett County grand jury returned a 21-count indictment against Evans, Miller, Torres, Grant, and Davila. The counts included malice murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault, and violations of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act.⁴

The 2023 Trial

Evans, Miller, and Torres were tried together before a jury in December 2023. The prosecution built its case around cooperating witnesses. Brandon Adams, who was at Evans’s house that weekend, admitted he provided his 9mm Ruger pistol to Evans knowing it would be used in the robberies, and he testified about Miller’s role directing gang members. Jaleel Grant, who took part in the Arrington robbery, testified without a plea agreement. Witness testimony placed Miller in the attack on Tunchez, swinging a stick during a struggle for the gun, and both Adams and Grant said Miller later confessed to the robbery and killing.⁴¹

Evans and Miller were both convicted of malice murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault, and gang-related offenses tied to the killing of Tunchez and the robberies of Wei, Yeon, Russell, and Arrington. Available court records do not specify the outcome for Torres at trial or whether she entered a plea.¹

The Georgia Supreme Court Ruling

Both Evans and Miller appealed to the Supreme Court of Georgia, which ruled on September 30, 2025.

Evans

Evans argued his trial attorney was constitutionally ineffective for not moving to suppress evidence taken from his cell phone and his home. The State conceded the cell phone warrant lacked the required specificity, but the court found no prejudice, pointing to what it called “overwhelming evidence” of guilt: testimony from Adams, Grant, and Sophia Beck; surveillance footage; stolen items recovered from Evans’s bedroom; and the rap lyrics. As to the residence, the court held the warrant was supported by probable cause given witness accounts and the tight timeline, so a suppression motion would have failed. His conviction was affirmed.¹

Miller

Miller argued the State’s case rested on circumstantial evidence that fell short of Georgia’s heightened standard under OCGA § 24-14-6. The court rejected that argument, holding the State had direct evidence of Miller’s guilt through testimony about his own confessions and his role directing the robberies, which meant the circumstantial evidence statute did not apply. His ineffective-assistance claims were also rejected. The court did agree with the State on one sentencing point: the trial court should have merged the aggravated assault count tied to the Arrington robbery into the armed robbery count for that same incident. Miller’s convictions were affirmed, but the sentence on that count was vacated and the case remanded for correction.¹

Who Willian Tunchez Was

Willian A. Tunchez Azurdia was born on April 11, 1997, and lived in Lawrenceville, Georgia, with his family. He was 21. On the day he disappeared, he had dropped a sibling off at home before telling family he was going to visit another relative.⁵ Funeral services were held on October 12, 2018, at Wages and Sons Gwinnett Chapel in Lawrenceville.⁶

1
FindLaw. Evans v. State, S25A0762
2
Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Teens Arrested in Death of Man Found on Gwinnett Walking Trail
3
FOX 5 Atlanta. Teens Charged in Murder of Gwinnett County Man
4
CaseMine. Evans v. State, S25A0762
5
Gwinnett County. Update: Homicide on Northcliff Drive, Suwanee – Victim Identified, Suspects Arrested
6
Legacy.com. Willian A. Tunchez Azurdia Obituary