Looking forward to Baker County in the New Year!
Big SWGA trials set to go to court in a few weeks
Horace "Chucky" Ross III taking the stand in October. (Source: WALB)
By Asia Wilson | December 30, 2019 at 6:21 PM EST - Updated December 30 at 6:21 PM
SOUTHWEST, Ga. (WALB) - A retrial is in the works for a Pelham man accused of killing two men and injuring another last December.
The high profile case is set to start in two weeks.
Horace “Chucky” Ross III will be on trial for the deaths of Denarrius Johnson and Steven Freeman.
They were shot off of Cannon Street.
Ross was on trial back in October, but a mistrial was granted due to a hung jury.
He originally faced two counts of malice murder, aggravated assault and possession of a gun during the commission of a crime.
Steve Freeman, was shot in killed in Pelham back in December 2018. (Source: WALB)
After over 15 hours of deliberations, Ross was found guilty of only the aggravated assault and possession of a firearm charges.
Prosecutors said they’ll pick a new jury and Ross will be tried for the murder charge again.
“The point is there was a hung jury, so at that point, the prosecutor then can decide whether or not they want to go forward with another retrial. And in this case, I anticipate that we will, in fact, retry the defendant in this January term,” said Joe Mulholland, South Georgia Judicial Circuit district attorney.
Prosecutors said jurors had the option to find Ross guilty, not guilty or give him involuntary manslaughter for the murder charges.
The retrial will take place on Jan. 13 at the Mitchell County Courthouse.
Armed robbery suspect to stand in trial in Baker Co. for big multi-county scheme
A Thomasville man will stand trial in Baker County for a multi-county armed robbery scheme.
Prosecutors said Kealeeon Miranda is facing charges for robberies in Thomasville and Valdosta and then expanded to Baker and Decatur counties.
Prosecutors said Darrel Perry was also involved. Perry is serving two life sentences. He pleaded guilty in July to two counts of armed robbery.
Prosecutors said the armed robbery spree was massive.
“I mean it was like multiple, like three, four or five armed robberies,” Mulholland said.
Mullholland said crimes were committed in North Florida and in other Georgia counties as well.
Miranda will be on trial starting the week of Jan. 27.
ADA Atwell and Smith both had great trials this week in Grady County!
2 Grady Co. men charged in separate child molestation cases
By Asia Wilson | September 23, 2019 at 11:40 PM EDT - Updated September 23 at 11:40 PM
CAIRO, Ga. (WALB) - Two Grady County men are now behind bars for separate molestation cases.
Prosecutors said the men were recently convicted of assaulting girls under the age of 12.
Bobby Williams was sentenced to life plus 30 years to be served consecutively on charges of rape, child molestation, aggravated sodomy and more.
Prosecutors said the victim was raped multiple times.
Jose Carillo has also been convicted of child molestation, along with the aggravated sexual battery.
He was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Prosecutors said they’re seeking to prosecute more cases in the future.
“The sad thing about these cases is the victim, more likely than not, are always going to have emotional and sometimes physical scars that they’ve had inflicted on them. And that’s why we always think it’s imperative that the court sentences the defendants to the harshest penalty that we could possibly get,” said Joe Mulholland, the district attorney for the South Georgia Judicial Circuit.
Prosecutors said the men were found guilty by a jury last week during their respective trials.
Great Job ADA Quinn!
Man in 2018 Grady Co. aggravated assault case sentenced
Surveillance footage from January's armed robbery in Cairo. (Source: walb)
By Asia Wilson | September 23, 2019 at 11:49 PM EDT - Updated September 24 at 3:09 PM
CAIRO, Ga. (WALB) - The man accused of holding up a store clerk last January was sentenced Tuesday, according to District Attorney Joe Mullholland.
Timothy Henderson was found guilty of aggravated assault, criminal attempt to commit armed robbery and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony for the robbery that happened at Hud’s One Stop Convenience Store in 2018.
Henderson was sentenced to 35 years with 20 to serve in prison. He also has to pay $200,000 in restitution.
[ Reward offered in Cairo shooting, armed robbery ]
Prosecutors said he shot a clerk while trying to rob the store.
Nothing was taken and the victim is still alive, officials said.
Bettison Trial Ends In Two Life Sentences
Judge delivers sentence in trial of Pelham grocery store owner death
By Jordan Barela and Asia Wilson | July 23, 2019 at 11:32 AM EDT - Updated July 24 at 12:08 AM
CAMILLA, Ga. (WALB) - The trial of two men charged in the death of a Pelham grocery store owner ended with a jury verdict and the judge’s sentence Tuesday.
On day two, both sides delivered closing arguments Tuesday afternoon and by 7:10 p.m., a verdict had been reached. The judge, after hearing from the victim’s family and family of both charged in the death of Bob Bettison, 79, delivered her sentencing.
Jerrod Johnson and Herbert Lamar Laster were both charged with felony murder, armed robbery, malice murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and two counts of aggravated assault in the death of Bettison in October of last year.
Johnson was found guilty on all charges.
Laster was found guilty of felony murder, armed robbery and both counts of aggravated assault, but he was found not guilty of malice murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Both men were sentenced to life without the chance of parole. Johnson, however, was also sentenced to 20 years for armed robbery and five years for possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, with all sentences to be served concurrently.
Day 2: Inside the courtroom
Jurors deliberated the fate for Johnson and Laster after prosecutors brought in five people from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) to testify.
Agents showed surveillance video from inside Bettison’s store and video from EZ Mart from across the street.
The videos showed both men.
In an audio interview with the GBI, Laster told agents he first went to EZ Mart the morning of the murder to get two hamburgers, a Gatorade and a soda. He said he and his girlfriend were hungry.
The state argued that Laster bought a bags of chips to distract Bettison. They said Johnson then came from behind and took Bettison’s revolver and shot him, taking two back bags.
Johnson claimed he went to the store to buy lottery tickets.
Agents said Laster was seen on the camera walking into Bettison’s Store. They took the cameras inside Bettison’s store to show he bought two bags of chips. The purchase happened eight minutes before the shooting.
They said Johnson was outside the store waiting.
The state also said the cameras from EZ Mart showed the two meeting on the side of Bettison’s store at some point.
Laster said he went there because it’s his favorite store and it’s cheap.
The state said Johnson was the shooter and Laster held the door open after Johnson shot and robbed Bettison.
Prosecutors said Johnson took the two bank bags and ran out of the store. Later, Laster was seen running as well.
Johnson returned to the store a second time since no money was in the bank bags, that’s when he shot Bettison the second time.
Johnson told GBI agents he went back because he wanted the money.
Laster’s attorney said he was scared and never returned to the store with Johnson the second time.
Agents said Johnson told them he then ran from the store after shooting Bettison the second time and the gun fell out of his pocket.
Another agent revealed he went to a home, looking for Johnson (under search warrants), and found stashes of money.
They also found receipts from Bettison’s store, one that included Laster’s name and his purchase that morning.
They said they found black shirts that were wet and had a strong bleach smell.
Prosecutors said Johnson robbed and shot Bettison twice, all for nearly $400.
Laster’s attorney said he did not shoot or rob Bettison.
GBI agents said Laster indicated he knew a robbery would take place before it happened.
Johnson’s attorney said the state did not prove he was the one seen in the Bettison’s Grocery Store video since it was grainy.
GBI medical examiners said Bettison was shot at in two incidents and had three gunshot wounds. They said the bullets went through parts of his body his body like his chest, rib, lungs and brain.
“Was bleeding in the left chest cavity. It actually fractured the spin and back bone area, causing those injuries. And then of course the projectile that went through the head caused damage to the brain, he had bleeding around the brain,” said Maryanne Gaffney-Kraft, the GBI regional medical examiner.
Johnson and Laster were charged in connection to Bettison’s death, which happened in October 2018.
Bob Bettison (Source: Pelham Police Department)
Both suspects were charged with the following:
Felony murder
Armed robbery
Aggravated assault (x2)
Malice murder
Possession of firearm during commission of a felony
Jerrod Johnson, left and Herbert Laster, right. (Source: Mitchell County Sheriff's Office)
Both suspects were indicted in January 2019.
More witnesses are expected to take the stand Tuesday.
[ Read More: Day 1 of the Bob Bettison trial ]
Opening statements began Monday around 4 p.m.
Herbert Laster in court on Monday. (Source: WALB)
Jerrod Johnson in court on Monday. (Source: WALB)
Two witnesses were called to the stand by the state. The witnesses were the responding Pelham Police Officer and a Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) special agent. The GBI agent went through photos she collected of the scene. She gathered over 350 pictures.
Laster and Johnson both chose not to testify.
Ricky Collum, Laster’s attorney, requested Judge Heather Lanier dismiss Laster on the malice and felony murder charges, along with the aggravated assault and armed robbery charges. Collum said there was no evidence that proved Laster was a party to the charges. Collum argued that Laster knew the armed robbery was going happen but that the state never proved he robbed or shot Bettison.
Proud to Have Two Great Interns this Summer!
While other young men and women are getting in trouble or doing nothing this summer, these two young men are learning about the Criminal Justice System and how a business operates! Both Hunter and Ty are doing a wonderful job!
Guilty! Glad to Get Justice for Alex Simmons and his Family! Great Job GBI Agent Shiver!
Verdict, sentence handed down in 2017 Leary homicide case
By Krista Monk | May 31, 2019 at 6:17 PM EDT - Updated May 31 at 6:17 PM
CALHOUN CO., Ga. (WALB) - A Leary homicide trial wrapped up after a jury reached a verdict in the case against Cortez Anderson, who was charged in the bludgeoning death of Alex Simmons Jr., 77.
Anderson was found guilty of felony murder, malice murder, aggravated assault and home invasion Friday afternoon. He was arrested by the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office in November of 2017.
Prosecutors argued that Anderson broke into Simmons’ home in September of 2017.
District Attorney Joe Mulholland said Anderson bludgeoned Simmons to death with an unknown object over a couple hundred dollars.
Many of the law enforcement officers said it was one of the worst crime scenes they had seen.
The judge sentenced Anderson to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Great Week In Grady County!
“
March 20, 2019 at 7:08 AM EST - Updated March 20 at 7:12 AM
CAIRO, GA (WALB) - On Tuesday, soon after a jury was seated in the murder case of the State versus Nicholas Liquinte Perry, the proceedings stopped for a plea bargain.
Perry was charged and indicted for the murder of Elijah Smith. District Attorney Joe Mulholland said that the facts showed that on January 7th, 2017, Smith and Perry were involved in a ‘mutual combat’ fight for $10, in the backyard of a home in Cairo.
Smith’s body was found the same day, in the area of 7th Street in Cairo.
After the jury was selected, Perry pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter.
The Honorable Heather H. Lanier sentenced the defendant to twenty years, ten to serve in the State Penitentiary.
“I hope that this will give the family of the victim some closure knowing that the Defendant will serve a lengthy sentence in the State System,” D. A. Mulholland said.
”There are no winners in a case like this, especially when the fight was over ten dollars. I pray for all of the family members involved.””
God's Country Will Not Stand For This.
Verdict handed down in Bainbridge murder trial
Thaddus Nundra (Courtesy: WALB)
Posted: Fri 10:58 AM, Feb 15, 2019
By: WALB
February 15, 2019
BAINBRIDGE, Ga. (WALB) -- A verdict has been reached in the murder trial of a man accused of gunning down a local newspaper employee.
Thaddus Nundra has been convicted of killing 67-year-old Hubert Moore in 2017.
Moore was shot to death in Bainbridge while he was delivering a daily edition of the Bainbridge Post-Searchlight.
Officials say the motive behind the killing was robbery, and that Thaddus Nundra was one of three men who wanted to hold up a store, but happened on Moore first.
Ronnie Dean McFadden, 42, Thaddus Nundra, 38, and Louis Lamorris Ousley, 29, were charged with killing Moore, a longtime employee of the Bainbridge Post-Searchlight.
South Georgia District Attorney Joe Mulholland had strong feelings about this case:
"On October 26th, 2017, the South Georgia Circuit suffered a tragedy that our small corner of Southwest Georgia is not accustomed to. Hubert Moore was shot and killed while preparing for his paper delivery in the early morning hours. Mr. Moore was not shot by an enemy, or a vindictive assailant, but rather was shot randomly by a man determined to rob Mr. Moore of his money.
"Mr. Moore had eight dollars on his person. The killer, Thaddus Nundra, was released from prison a year before the murder. Mr. Hubert spent the last moments of his life lying in an empty parking lot gasping for air. He left behind a wife of twenty-six years. They spent their time together raising cows, enjoying each other, and spoiling their little dog. This Valentine’s Day, Mr. Hubert’s widow wasn’t awakened by a kiss from her husband but rather an empty bed. She received no flowers, nor any signs of affection from her best friend Mr. Moore.
"The only peace I can give Mrs. Moore is that this Valentine’s Day the Jury convicted Thaddus Nundra. The Court sentenced him to Life without Parole. Thaddus Nundra will spend whatever time he has left on this world rotting in a ten by ten cell in the State System. While he certainly doesn’t deserve even this, I hope that the Moore family and friends can have some closure knowing that his killer will never see the light of day again as a free man.
“Our community was sickened by this crime. This is something that happens in Metro areas, not God’s Country. I cannot thank the Jury, Bainbridge Public Safety, Decatur County Sheriff’s Office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and all of the other parties that made this conviction become a reality. Our community will recover from this case and be stronger and more vigilant in the future. But we will never forget Mr. Hubert Moore. Rest in Peace and God Bless You Mr. Hubert.”
DNA Update
By Asia Wilson | January 29, 2019 at 10:06 PM EST - Updated January 29 at 10:06 PM
ALBANY, GA (WALB) - A South Georgia district attorney said a new scientific DNA method has been admitted for an upcoming trial out of Bainbridge. And the entire state could begin to use 'True Allele’ which could help crime investigators find killers more quickly.
Joe Mulholland, the district attorney for the South Georgia Judicial Circuit, said last week that the judge ruled that True Allele is scientifically reliable and prosecutors can move forward with including this in the trial for Hubert Moore’s murder.
Prosecutors were able to use the co-mingled DNA to identify Thaddus Nundra as the man they believe pulled the trigger while Moore was working at the Bainbridge Post Searchlight in 2017.
Thaddus Nundra (Source: Irwin County)
“We were able to say, ‘Yes, this was the shooter’s hat,’ which was Nundra and we also submitted the other two individuals who were involved in the shooting and they were excluded. We were able to say, ‘Yes, he’s the shooter of the three.’ We know he was the one who did the shooting,” said Mulholland.
The trial will begin on Feb. 11 in Decatur County.
Prosecutors said that if the three men are convicted, it will go to the supreme court.
