Man convicted for 'calculated' murder outside Duluth Red Lobster
Neil Patrick Frasdilla (Gwinnett County Police Department)
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - A Gwinnett County jury has found a man guilty of a murder outside a Duluth Red Lobster almost a year after he and his victim had a fight.
This week, a jury found 27-year-old Neil Patrick Frasdilla guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony for the death of 46-year-old Darius Dugger in 2023.
According to investigators, the situation began in 2022 when Frasdilla's then-girlfriend came to Dugger's home and told the Lawrenceville man and his fiancé that Frasdilla had been abusing her.
Dugger later confronted Frasdilla, telling him to leave the woman's home. During the argument, officials say Frasdilla went to his car to get a gun, which led to a struggle and fight between the two men.
After the argument, it appeared that the two men had resolved the issue, but investigators say Frasdilla was planning a serious crime.
On Sept. 13, 2023, Frasdilla rented a gray Tesla and waited in Dugger's neighborhood. He then followed Dugger, Dugger's fiancé, and their 4-year-old child to a Red Lobster at Mall Corners in Duluth.
When Dugger was parking, officials say Frasdilla pulled up to the side of his truck and started shooting, killing him. Multiple witnesses were able to get the Tesla's license plate number, and police found a piece of the vehicle's passenger-side mirror cover on the ground with the shell casings.
Area surveillance cameras and the Telsa's GPS allowed detectives to find where Frasdilla was within an hour, as well as track his path to a wooded area where they found the murder weapon. They also discovered footage taken by the rental car's built-in camera that showed him walking to the car with the gun.
"We are happy to see justice served in this case," said Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson. "This was a calculated, premeditated murder. It is unconscionable to imagine someone lying in wait for nearly a year to kill a person they argued with."
A judge will sentence Frasdilla on May 28.