A Davidson County jury found 33-year-old Demarco Locust GUILTY of First Degree Premeditated Murder for the 2023 killing of 46-year-old Rezai Dashti.
It took the jury only 3 hours to find that Locust gunned down Dashti on Halloween, 2023, in a gas station parking lot along Harding Place after a dispute over territories related to drug sales. Locust was arrested a month later after a brief chase by Metro police that ended near Hillsboro Pike near I-440.
Congratulations to Division VI Assistant District Attorney Luis Casas, who served as First Chair, and Deputy District Attorney Amy Hunter, serving as Second Chair for the prosecution. Also assisting in a successful prosecution were:
Investigator Steve Turner, who had to go find a key female witness who refused to show up on the first day of the trial.
Ethan Burns from our Finance Department, responsible for last minute scrambling to make accommodations for the witness.
Victim Witness Coordinator Nikanna Bell once again was attentive, professional, and compassionate in assisting the victim’s family.
With the conviction, Locust received an automatic life sentence. He was also convicted of being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm. His Sentencing on that charge will be in May.
Demarco Locust
