CHEROKEE COUNTY, GA — A Cherokee County jury convicted a Powder Springs man in the 2021 shooting death of his wife’s ex-fiancé, according to the Office of District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway.

Jurors found 37-year-old Nicholas Michael Mimms guilty of felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in the death of 31-year-old Eduardo Gilberto Figueroa. He was found not guilty of malice murder.

The verdict was reached Feb. 13 after about eight hours of deliberation.

Prosecutors said the charges stem from the fatal shooting of Figueroa around noon on Aug. 7, 2021, outside a home on Mohawk Trail in the Acworth area of Cherokee County.

When Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived, they found Figueroa lying face down on a deck beside the home, dead from multiple gunshot wounds. Mimms told investigators he acted in self-defense, claiming Figueroa had threatened him and was dangerous.

However, evidence presented at trial showed Figueroa was unarmed. Prosecutors said Mimms was wearing a bulletproof vest, armed with a firearm, and waiting outside the home for Figueroa to arrive.

According to the District Attorney’s Office, Figueroa had recently established parental rights to the child he shared with his ex-fiancée, who later married Mimms.

His first court-approved parenting time was scheduled from noon to 2 p.m. the day of the shooting. Mimms, who had never met Figueroa before, was designated to supervise the visitation. The child and mother were not at the home when the shooting occurred, officials add.

The trial began Jan. 26 and lasted about three weeks, officials add.

“Jurors heard testimony from 25 witnesses, including law enforcement officers, medical experts, lay witnesses, and other individuals familiar with events leading up to the shooting,” Office of the District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway said. “The State and the Defense also introduced 200 exhibits into evidence, including the defendant’s bulletproof vest and firearm, the stuffed animal Figueroa had brought for his child, crime scene photographs, medical reports, and surveillance video and audio.”

Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.