FAIRBURN, Ga. - A Fulton County man has been convicted in the murder of a 58-year-old grandmother whose body was found in the trunk of her own car in 2017.
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Man convicted of murdering grandmother days before Christmas
A grand jury found the man guilty of murdering the woman who was giving his girlfriend a ride.
Authorities say the victim, 58-year-old Toni Abad, had just gotten off work at a Publix grocery store in Fairburn four days before Christmas when she came upon De'Asia Page, who was 18 at the time. Page asked for her a ride, and Abad agreed, driving her nearly 5 miles away from the store.
When they arrived at the location, police say Page's boyfriend, Jared Kemp, appeared from the woods with a baseball bat. Authorities say Kemp broke the driverside window of the car and beat Abad with the bat as she begged for her life.
"He hit her until she stopped moving. After she stopped, they put her in the trunk. She said it looked like alive but choking on blood. Kemp hit her more with a bat," a Fulton County police detective told the court in 2018.
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The detective said Kemp's girlfriend told investigators that she and Kemp planned to steal the woman's car.
The couple then left the car at a nearby Waffle House along Campbellton Fairburn Road before fleeing the scene.
Authorities made the horrifying discovery after responding to an abandoned vehicle call. The car keys were still on the driver's seat.
After admitting her connection to the murder to a security guard, Page was arrested Dec. 24, 2017. Kemp was arrested a short while later.
Abad left behind four sons and five grandchildren. Officials described her as "a caring woman who was always willing to go the extra mile to help others."
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“On behalf of our entire family and friends, we are forever grateful for this verdict. We believe justice has been served," the victim's son Toni Abad said in a statement.
Kemp was convicted of murder, felony murder, armed robbery, first-degree hijacking a motor vehicle, and aggravated assault. He will be sentenced on Tuesday.
Page will go on trial at a later date.