Man indicted on murder charges for killing Savannah mother in 2016

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Hannah Brown was shot and killed in her car as she returned home from work in Savannah in 2016.

Investigators say her daughter was in the backseat at the time. Police have said her mother was an innocent victim caught in the crossfire of gang activity.

Those are some of the new details outlined in a 26-count indictment issued Wednesday by a Chatham County grand jury. Her suspected shooter, Gilberto Ravelo-Mojica, faces the bulk of those charges, including malice murder.

The indictment says he along with Rakeem Howard Carlton were part of the same street gang back in 2016 and conspired to commit murder. Two days before Hannah Brown was killed, investigators say Carlton shot at five people for which he’s indicted on five counts of aggravated assault.

On the day Brown died, her family said she had just arrived home from working her second job. She was parked outside on New Castle Street when investigators say Ravelo-Mojica shot and killed her. Savannah Police arrested him in 2020.

At the time, it was the first major development in the case in four years.

Ravelo-Mojico was convicted in 2018 of trafficking ecstasy. Prosecutors are pursuing the recidivism statute, which means he could face stiffer penalties if convicted on the new felony charges.

The indictment Wednesday allows the case to move ahead to trial.