Man sentenced to life for killing woman in front of her children, Alcovy District Attorney says

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A man has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing a woman in front of her children and kidnapping her infant child, according to the Alcovy District Attorney.

The district attorney, who serves Walton and Newton counties, said Gregory Deonte Norwood stabbed Crystal Powell (also known as Crystal Hyatt) 14 times at her home in Monroe on Apr. 16, 2022.

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According to the district attorney, five children between the ages of three and 11 saw the murder. All five children testified during the trial.

Norwood then kidnapped the 1-year-old child he had with Powell. The child was later found safe in Gwinnett County.

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Norwood later claimed that Powell stabbed herself, according to the district attorney. In a statement, the district attorney said, “The jury clearly did not buy [Norwood’s] self serving version of the events that did not match any of the evidence presented.” The state also said Norwood had a history of domestic violence.

Norwood was convicted of five counts of first-degree cruelty to children, two counts of felony murder and one count each of aggravated assault, family violence battery and malice murder.

He was sentenced to life without parole plus 100 years.