GWINNETT COUNTY, GA — A decade after the disappearance of 21-year-old Samuel Waters, a Gwinnett County jury has convicted Jeffrey Emerson Moulder, 30, of malice murder and felony murder, sentencing him to life in prison.
Prosecutors say Moulder, of Cumming, Georgia, strangled Waters, the father of his ex-wife’s child on a Lawrenceville back road in January 2015 before dismembering and disposing of the body near Lake Lanier. Despite extensive searches, Waters' remains were never recovered.
WSBTV says according to court documents, Waters vanished on January 4, 2015, after leaving his Lawrenceville home with Moulder to buy beer. His case remained classified as a missing person investigation until 2021, when new evidence linked Moulder to the crime.
Investigators revealed that after unsuccessfully attempting to burn the body, Moulder disposed of Waters’ remains in multiple locations. Over the years, he allegedly confessed to multiple people about the murder.
Following less than two hours of jury deliberation, Moulder was found guilty, bringing a long-awaited sense of justice for Waters' family.
“Samuel Waters’ family is able to get justice after 10 long years,” said Gwinnett District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson. “This was not an easy case to close because the body was never found. But our team was able to successfully piece together evidence to prove the defendant’s guilt.”
Moulder will serve a life sentence without parole.
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