News from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Colin Gray, the father of Apalachee High School shooter Colt Gray, was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison for his role in Georgia’s deadliest school shooting, according to the AJC. The sentence comes two days after his son received life without parole. Colin Gray is the first Georgia parent prosecuted for a mass school …
A Gwinnett County judge has granted a new trial to Danyel Smith, who was convicted more than two decades ago in the shaken-baby death of his 2-month-old son, Chandler. Smith has consistently maintained his innocence, and his defense team has sought to present new evidence they believe could exonerate him. In 2023, Gwinnett prosecutors offered …
An administrative law judge ruled that Ashley Jordan and Albert Debelbot are eligible for state compensation under Georgia’s Wrongful Conviction and Incarceration Act after spending over 12 years in prison for the 2008 death of their newborn daughter. Judge Ronit Walker of the Office of State Administrative Hearings issued a 41-page opinion finding that the …
A convicted murderer was mistakenly released from custody in Clayton County, Georgia, adding to a documented pattern of similar errors across the state. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, law enforcement mistakes have allowed both convicted individuals and pretrial detainees to walk free in multiple Georgia jurisdictions. The article notes that two such incidents have occurred …
Brandon Pugh was exonerated after serving 16 years in a Georgia prison for a crime he did not commit. His release has been followed by challenges in rebuilding his life, including reconnecting with family, accessing healthcare, and finding employment. Georgia has established a new pathway for exonerees to seek compensation from the state, a process …
A federal appeals court has revived a civil rights lawsuit by three Georgia death row prisoners who allege unequal treatment under a 2021 state agreement. The agreement, which protects nine prisoners from execution until certain pandemic-related conditions are met, did not extend to Lyndon Pace, Jerry Heidler, and Warren King, who were still appealing their …
Federal prosecutors announced the indictment of 12 individuals in what they described as the largest federal prosecution of a drone-based prison smuggling operation. The alleged ring used a former daycare center in Macon, Georgia, nicknamed “the Lab,” as a base to airdrop contraband including drugs, cellphones, and weapons into 10 federal prisons across eight states. …
According to an AJC.com report, Sheqweetta Vaughan, a 35-year-old mother who had just entered the Georgia prison system to serve a two-year sentence, died at Lee Arrendale State Prison six months after giving birth. Her body was found decomposing in a hot cell, highlighting ongoing dysfunction within the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) despite increased …
Number of African-Americans sent to Georgia prisons hits historic lows The number of African-Americans being locked up in Georgia’s prison system has dropped to historic lows, reflecting a monumental shift in the way Georgia is punishing nonviolent offenders. While prison admissions have dropped almost 19 percent in the past eight years, the incarceration of black …
Georgia man who stole $11 million from behind bars escapes from federal prison A Georgia man who stole millions from a Hollywood producer in an audacious heist he orchestrated from behind bars has escaped federal prison, officials say. The Federal Bureau of Prisons said that Arthur Lee Cofield Jr. was discovered missing Tuesday afternoon from …