A former security guard was convicted earlier this month of first-degree murder in the shooting of an unarmed man during a dispute over loud music at a Kroger gas station in Memphis, Tennessee.
Gregory Livingston, 57, was found guilty by a Shelby County jury May 3rd in the August 2021 fatal shooting of 48-year-old Alvin Motley Jr., who had been visiting Memphis from Chicago when he got into an argument with Livingston at a Kroger gas station.
Criminal Court Judge Chris Craft sentenced Livingston to life in prison.
Motley, who was black, was a passenger in a car when Livingston, who is white, approached and engaged in a conversation about loud music coming from the vehicle that prosecutors said steadily escalated.
Holding a beer and a cigarette, Motley walked toward Livingston during the argument and suggested they discuss the matter “like men.” Livingston drew his gun and fired a single shot into Motley’s chest. He died at the scene.
During trial, Livingston’s lawyers argued that he acted in self-defense.
The office of Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk handled the case after then-Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich recused herself because an investigator in her office had an off-duty job with the security company that employed Livingston. Besides General Funk, the Nashville DA’s Prosecutorial Team included Assistant District Attorneys David Jones and Ronald Dowdy, as well as Media Specialists Megan Thomas and Lili Wall. Victim Witness Coordinator Sunshine Sadler assisted the Motley family during the week-long trial, and DA Investigator Terry Wills made several trips to Memphis during the 3 years it took to bring the case to trial.
