An investigation revealed James Thomas held a "grudge" against Corey Detiege over a "drug deal gone bad" in July 2020 in Houston, a release stated.

ATLANTA — A man has been convicted in the 2021 murder of Houston-based rapper Corey Detiege, who was known by his stage name Chucky Trill.

Detiege, of Sugar Land, Texas, was visiting Atlanta during the 2021 NBA All-Star Game weekend when he was shot and killed around 3 a.m. on March 5, 2021. The 33-year-old was driving a rented SUV, along I-85 South between Indian Trail Lilburn Road and Jimmy Carter Boulevard, when he was shot to death by a passing car after coming back from a nightclub, a release from the Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office stated. 

Three of Detiege's friends from Houston and one friend from Atlanta were inside the car at the time of the shooting. The SUV was hit by eight bullets -- with at least one of the bullets striking Detiege, according to the release.

RELATED: Rapper in town for All-Star weekend killed in I-85 shooting, manager says

Gwinnett County Police used traffic cameras, license plate scanners and surveillance video to identify the suspect's car involved in the shooting. Investigators discovered the car was registered to James Thomas, who lived in the Atlanta area.

An investigation revealed Thomas held a "grudge" against Detiege over a "drug deal gone bad" in July 2020 in Houston, a release stated. 

A detective with the Gwinnett County Police Department obtained search warrants for cell phone tower information and for a Google "geo-fence" search of the locations that Detiege and his friends had visited that night. It was determined Thomas still had the same cell phone, which pinged at various locations following Detiege and his friends, when he was arrested several months later, according to the release. 

During Thomas' trial, prosecutors established Thomas had followed a precise route, which mirrored the route taken by Detiege and his friends. They also showed evidence of Thomas threatening Detiege over the phone via text message. 

Last Friday, a Gwinnett County jury rejected Thomas' claim that he was not present during the shooting and that someone else was using his vehicle. A jury found Thomas guilty due to his "digital fingerprints" and threats against Detiege, the release stated. 

Thomas was convicted of malice murder against Detiege, aggravated assault against the remaining victims in the SUV and the use of a firearm during the commission of a crime. 

He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole plus 105 years to run consecutively with his sentence, according to the release.