Silver Comet Slayer Gets Death Penalty

A man convicted of sexually assaulting and murdering a 54-year-old mother along a suburban Atlanta bike trail has been sentenced to death. The jury handed down the death sentence Friday against 46-year-old Michael Ledford. The same Paulding County jury took about 90 minutes to reach the verdict Monday in the 2006 slaying of Jennifer Ewing. Police said Ledford ambushed Ewing as she biked along the Silver Comet Trail, which runs from Smyrna to Alabama.

(Associated Press)

Alleged Murderer and Rapist Pleads Guilty

A Puerto Rican man has pleaded guilty to raping and killing a pregnant Georgia tourist whom he kidnapped along a rural island road. Eliezer Marquez Navedo pleaded guilty Tuesday to first-degree murder, kidnapping and two sexual assault charges in the Feb. 4 slaying of Sara Kuszak. He faces life in prison at a June 1 sentencing hearing. Kuszak was jogging along a remote road in eastern Puerto Rico when Marquez abducted her, stuffed her in the trunk of a car, raped her and slashed her throat. Police say he acknowledged killing her after they arrested him with bloodstains on his shirt and pants. Kuszak was about five months pregnant. She was visiting Puerto Rico with her fiance and friends.

( The Associated Pres)

Divided Court Upholds Murder Conviction

A divided Georgia Supreme Court has upheld the murder conviction and life prison sentence given to a man who shot and killed his girlfriend after learning of her affair with a DeKalb County police officer. Michael S. Shields was convicted of murdering Denise Hill in 2002. He had appealed the conviction on several grounds, including concerns that the trial court gave the jury incomplete instructions regarding adultery. The majority decision in the Georgia Supreme Court's 4-3 decision Monday found Shields' challenges to "be without merit." Presiding Justice Carol Hunstein disagreed in a dissent, concluding that she would reverse the conviction because of the erroneous jury charge.

(Associated Press)

Grand jury indicts 63-year-old on murder and assult charges

A man police say shot and killed three people at a Columbus hospital in March because of a grudge has been indicted on murder and assault charges.

A Muscogee County grand jury indicted 63-year-old Charles Johnston on Tuesday.

Police say Johnston went on a shooting spree March 27 at Doctors Hospital because he was upset over the medical treatment his mother received there before her 2004 death.

(Associated Press)

Convicted killer gets death sentence

Today a jury sentenced a convicted murderer to death. Jerry Jones pleaded guilty to murdering his infant daughter and three of his ex-girlfriend's relatives in Ranger in northwest Georgia in 2004. Jones led police on a 19-hour chase into Chattanooga, Tennessee before he was caught.

Georgia soldier faces murder charge

The Army has decided to charge a northeast Georgia soldier with murdering an Iraqi detainee. 25-year-old Christopher Shore of Winder faces a third degree murder charge. Shore and his platoon sergeant are accused of killing the detainee during a nighttime raid in a village near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. Shore testified that his platoon sergeant ordered him to quote “finish” killing the Iraqi man, but that he intentionally missed and only fired because he was afraid of openly disobeying an order from the sergeant.

Mother accused of killing children in Augusta

A 22-year-old woman is accused of fatally stabbing her one-year-old son and three-year-old daughter in the bathroom of a convenience store in Augusta.

Richmond County Sheriff Ronnie Strength says a worker at the store in south Augusta told police she heard a scream after the woman entered restroom yesterday with the children.

Jordon Hawes and Shakayla Hawes were pronounced dead upon arrival at the Medical College of Georgia Hospital.

Police have charged Jeannette Hawes with the murders.

Columbus police: possible murder-arson 'premeditated killing'

Columbus Police Maj. Russell Traino says that the alleged slaying of a local man on Friday was "a premeditated killing." Traino told reporters:

"They had planned this killing prior to it happening,"... "They knew that this individual carried a sum of money."

Police believe the victim is 28-year-old Aubrey Hector, a Columbus resident.

Firefighters, who were called to extinguish a car fire Friday night, discovered the man's body. An autopsy disclosed that he had also been shot once.

Possible witnesses and arrest warrants were issued by Sunday, and six individuals have been charged with a number of counts of in the case. These include murder, first-degree arson, armed robbery and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, according to the Ledger-Enquirer newspaper.

Traino said police have solved 17 out of 20 homicide cases in the city this year.

Georgia solider charged with Iraq murder

A soldier from Georgia is one of two that have been charged with murder by the U-S military. Specialist Christopher Shore of Winder, along with a fellow soldier from Texas were charged with the premeditated murder of an Iraqi in late June in Kirkuk. Already, a lieutenant colonel has been relieved of command in the case.