Dijour Ross, who according to his booking report was homeless at the time of his arrest, was sentenced to 20 years in custody for a 2019 carjacking (hijacking) and armed robbery that took place on Franklin Road in Marietta. Ross was born in 2001 according to the booking report.
On May 27 a Cobb jury delivered the guilty verdict, and on June 8 Cobb County Superior Court Judge Mary Staley handed down the sentence.
A press release from the office of Cobb County District Attorney Flynn D. Broady, Jr. described the incident leading up to the trial and sentencing as follow:
On May 30, 2019, Marietta Police Department responded to a 911 call concerning an armed carjacking of a Mercedes Benz by two men at the location of 1295 Franklin Rd in Marietta. The investigation revealed that it was Ross and his accomplice, Francisco Cruz, who had held the victim at gunpoint and took her car. The men led the police on a high-speed chase. Cruz was found on scene after the chase. Ross was later apprehended in North Carolina pursuant to a fugitive arrest warrant. Cruz entered a guilty plea to the charges of Armed Robbery and Hijacking.
During the trial Ross was declared indigent by the court, and Woodstock-based attorney Frank Michael Starosto was appointed to represent him.
The DA’s Office described the prosecution team as follow:
During Ross’ trial, Assistant District Attorney John Overocker presented the testimony of the victim, law enforcement, DNA evidence, and other evidence. The District Attorney trial team included Assistant District Attorney John Overocker, Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Gordon, Investigator C. Lyda, Victim Advocate Kya Davidson, and Legal Administrative Assistant Quentin Lindley.
At the sentencing, a statement by the victim contained the following, “I’m a real estate broker, cancer survivor, and a mother of a teen. That’s who you carjacked and robbed that day. I’ve had to move four times since the incident because I don’t feel safe. You didn’t just take a car; you stole pieces of my life.”
Assistant District Attorney Overocker said, “I thank the victim in this case. She is a survivor. She displayed incredible bravery throughout the whole process. I hope that the verdict and this sentence helps her as she heals.”
