A sentence of life without the possibility of parole was handed down to three men convicted of a drive-by shooting that left an Austell man dead.

Jermari Ferron, 23, Diomante Plummer, 27, and Claubert Mimy, 24, were found guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, cruelty to children in the second degree, and reckless conduct following a four-week trial in Cobb County Superior Court.

Judge Julie Adams Jacobs handed down the sentence of life without parole, which also included an additional 40 years for each defendant.

In a public information release, the office of Cobb County District Attorney Sonya F. Allen described the events leading up to the arrests and convictions as follows:

On Saturday, March 27, 2021, 37-year-old Brian Sclafford-Clemons, left his Austell home with his then-eight-year-old daughter to get snacks at the RaceTrac less than a mile from his home. When he stopped in the left turn lane on Austell Road to turn into the RaceTrac, a black BMW and white Lexus pulled alongside the victim’s Nissan Altima and fired dozens of rounds into his car striking [sic]. Sclafford-Clemons was shot seven times and he died. Bystanders ran to the Nissan, surprised to find the little girl in the backseat unscathed. The witness who rescued the little girl said the vehicle was riddled with so many bullets that it looked like “Swiss cheese.” Miraculously, the only bullet that failed to penetrate the vehicle was lodged in the back passenger door frame, where the victim’s daughter was seated. Investigators collected 26 9mm casings and one 300-blackout cartridge case from the scene.

Cobb County Police Department pulled surveillance video from the RaceTrac and other surrounding establishments and residences. Detectives were able to use the footage to identify the suspects’ vehicles as a 2021 black BMW M440i and a 2006-2012 white Lexus IS250. The video showed the two vehicles circling the victim’s neighborhood for three hours and 37 minutes before the murder. Despite the seemingly targeted execution, exhaustive investigation into the victim’s life failed to uncover any leads. The lead detective then spent months searching for the suspects’ vehicles until he stumbled upon an accident report from Atlanta involving a 2021 black BMW M440i with a Florida tag. The driver of the vehicle was listed as Jermari Ferron. This report helped the lead detective unravel the case and eventually identify co-defendants Plummer and Mimy.

On September 24, 2021, Cobb County Police and U.S. Marshals organized a simultaneous takedown, arresting Ferron in Coral Springs, Florida; Plummer in Miami-Dade, Florida; and Mimy in Powder Springs, Georgia. On the same day, Cobb County Police located both suspects’ vehicles in Florida. During the search of the white Lexus IS250, detectives located a single spent 300-blackout cartridge case lodged in the grill panel. Firearms examination confirmed that the 300-blackout cartridge case collected from the crime scene and the 300-blackout cartridge case located six months later in the Lexus were fired from the same firearm. Jurors were presented with over 1500 pieces of evidence. The evidence presented helped the jury reached its verdict, finding Ferron, Plummer, and Mimy guilty of the senseless murder of Sclafford-Clemons and the near-murder of his daughter.

“This guilty verdict delivers long-overdue justice for a family and a community shaken by this horrific act of violence. The defendants opened fire from both sides of the victim’s car, nearly striking his eight-year-old daughter. Their actions put every innocent life in our community at risk. I’m proud of our trial team and the relentless work of Cobb Police detectives. This case shows our commitment to standing with victims, holding violent offenders accountable, and protecting the safety and peace of our community,” said District Attorney Allen, quoted in the public information release.

“These men almost got away with murder. Unfortunately for them, a relentless detective was assigned to the case, determined to bring justice to this little girl and her family. We may never know why this happened, but I’m forever grateful that it’ll never happen again thanks to the tenacious detective and attentive jury,” said Senior Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Green, who tried the case, quoted in the public information release.