Atlanta man convicted of killing Decatur man in 2020

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - In a recent verdict, a DeKalb County jury has found Dwayne Brewer, 28, guilty of multiple charges, including Malice Murder, Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault, Robbery by Force, False Imprisonment, Tampering with Evidence, Concealing the Death of Another, and Burglary in the First. The charges stem from a gruesome incident that occurred on Aug. 16, 2020. Brewer's co-defendant, Carlos Ivey, 27, had previously pled guilty to reduced charges in the case.

The victim, Andrew Keegan, 29, was lured to the home shared by Brewer and Ivey on Shadowridge Drive SE in Atlanta under the pretense of a drug deal. However, their true intention was to rob him. Keegan arrived on his motorcycle and was subsequently attacked by Brewer and Ivey, who used a hammer and suffocation to cause his death.

After the murder, the defendants concealed Keegan's body in their basement until their roommate went to sleep. Subsequently, they buried Keegan in a shallow grave in a nearby wooded area, managing to keep his death hidden for five months. Critical to solving the case was surveillance footage from a neighbor, which showed Brewer and Ivey leaving their residence multiple times in the early hours of August 17, 2020, to dispose of evidence and the victim's body.

Following Keegan's death, the defendants targeted his apartment on North Candler Street in Decatur, stealing drugs and approximately $20,000. They attempted to cover their tracks further by renting a U-Haul, loading Keegan's motorcycle onto it, and then abandoning the motorcycle in a secluded area with the license plate removed. The stolen property, including a safe, a shotgun, and a pistol, was disposed of during their journey back to Atlanta from Tybee Island.

On Sept. 8, 2020, Brewer and Ivey purchased one-way tickets to Puerto Rico, where they were eventually apprehended on October 4, 2020, and extradited.

During the trial, DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Stacey Hydrick sentenced Brewer to life in prison plus an additional 90 years. The prosecution team was led by Senior Assistant District Attorney Shannon Hodder, with support from ADA Reid White, DA Investigator Christopher Franklin, and Victim Advocate Christy Palmer. The initial investigation was conducted by former Decatur Police Department Criminal Investigator Tiffany Edwards, now with the District Attorney’s Office, and later concluded by Detective B. R. Smith with the DeKalb County Police Department.