Malik Mason (Douglas County Sheriff’s Office) and Cha’leb Christopher Brown (Willie A. Watkins Funeral Home)
A 27-year-old man in Georgia will spend the rest of his days behind bars for killing his self-described “best friend,” fatally shooting the 25-year-old victim during a spat over a social media post that referred to the shooter as a “rat.” Douglas County Superior Court Judge Cynthia Adams on Monday ordered Malik Jeremiah Mason to serve a sentence of life in prison plus an additional 16 years for the 2020 slaying of Cha’leb Christopher Brown, authorities announced.
A jury last week found Mason guilty on two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, third-degree cruelty to children, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by first offender probationer.
According to a news release from the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office, law enforcement authorities on Nov. 6, 2020, responded to an emergency call at an apartment complex in the 100 block of Ravenwood Court about reports of an adult male being shot. Upon arriving at the scene, first responders said they found the victim — later identified as Brown — on the ground and bleeding. He appeared to have suffered a single gunshot wound to the neck. Emergency medical workers responded but were unable to save Brown, who succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses immediately began telling officers that the victim’s friend, whom they identified as Mason, was the shooter. At trial, several people testified that they witnessed Mason shoot and kill Brown.
“Mason and his girlfriend arrived at the scene a few minutes prior to the shooting and began speaking with the victim in the parking lot of an apartment complex,” the release states. “The conversation became heated between Mason’s girlfriend and the victim over a social media post that had identified Mason as ‘a rat,’ claiming he was an informant for law enforcement. As things escalated verbally, Mason shot the victim, who was unarmed, in the neck.”
Prosecutors said that Mason shot his friend knowing full well that there was a minor child present who witnessed the shooting.
After killing Brown, Mason and his girlfriend ran back to his vehicle and fled the scene. Authorities were able to track down Mason in Alabama a few days later where he was taken into custody.
In a bizarre twist, Mason addressed the court during his sentencing hearing and referred to Brown as his “best friend,” prosecutors said. However, he also “took no responsibility for his actions or the events that led to the victim’s death.”
“It’s difficult to understand how two young men who were friends would let a social media post lead to the murder of one,” Douglas County District Attorney Dalia Racine said in a statement following the sentencing hearing. “Too often we see people mistake the recklessness of the virtual world for the permanence of consequences in the real world. Unfortunately, the wake-up call, like in this case, can be disastrous and devastating to our families and our communities.”
Mason’s then-girlfriend, Destiny Biana Henry, was also arrested in connection with the shooting, court records show. She reached an agreement with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to one count of hindering the apprehension of a criminal in exchange for agreeing to testify against Mason, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Her sentencing hearing is yet to be scheduled.
