Augusta, GA
Man draws decades behind bars for Augusta attack on estranged wife
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A judge accepted a guilty plea in the 2022 case of a man accused of holding his estranged wife at gunpoint and threatening to set her on fire before deputies showed up.
The suspect, Frank Ward, was sentenced Thursday to 20 years behind bars.
The incident happened Feb. 12, 2022, in the 2400 block of Lisbon Road, where deputies went after getting a 911 call with no one on the line.
Upon arrival, a deputies heard a woman scream out, “Please don’t kill me,” and a gunshot.
Deputies said they kicked in the side door and found victim Matilyn Ward on the floor with her estranged husband Frank Ward wielding a revolver.
Frank Ward complied with deputies’ commands and they took him into custody.
He was supposed to go to trial this week after a series of delays.
He was charged with home invasion, burglary, aggravated assault, three counts of family violence, terroristic threats, hindering a 911 call and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
He entered a guilty plea Thursday in a proceeding where the courtroom was so full, some people had to leave and chairs had to be brought in to accommodate those still in the room.
Ward and the victim were married at the time of the incident but estranged.
Prosecutors said he broke into her house and covered her with a gasoline-soaked towel.
She was pistol-whipped, choked, beaten, and he shot into her bed’s headboard, according to prosecutors.
He reportedly told her to “show him who she was talking to,” but she somehow managed to call 911 instead.
He hung up the phone, but she ran into the kitchen. Deputies showed up, and Ward shot toward her, with the bullet barely missing her head.
On deputies’ body camera footage played in court Thursday, you can hear the gunshot after they knock on the door.
Deputies then pulled their weapons and told him to drop his.
Weeks prior, she’d filed a police report because she said she was leaving him, but he got violent, according to prosecutors.
She said he put a tracker in her car and was a controlling person both physically and financially.
She said she told everyone she could about how dangerous he was, and no one could stop it, including their families.
She said he even had someone come attack her but called him back because he “wanted to do it himself.”
At Thursday’s hearing, prosecutors asked for a life sentence because he was a threat to the victim “and to this entire community.”
The public defender said she hadn’t been representing him long, but said he was a gentleman who wanted to take responsibility for his actions. She said he has a trucking company and put his oldest daughter through private school and sent her to Auburn.
A letter was read from his late mother before she went into hospice in 2023.
She said he suffered three concussions playing football. and witnessed domestic violence in his home growing up. She divorced his dad because of it.
She wrote that she wondered whether it was right to put him in a cell and that he’s been described as a violent criminal but had some redeeming qualities.
In court, Ward apologized to the victim and their families, calling her a remarkable mom.
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He said people deserve to know why the crimes happened, then blamed his “untreated depression,” which he said led to violent outbursts.
He asked the court to consider his mental health problems.
He said marital and relational stress created an environment in which his mental illness thrived.
He said he recalled his victim going through depression but she had the tools to deal with it. He said he didn’t.
The judge accepted his guilty plea.
“You’ve been rather dangerous,” the judge told him. “I’m not going to release you. That’s not even a consideration.”
The judge called the body cam video “disturbing,” said it’s hard to believe Ward’s behavior will change “just because he tells me so” and added, “As long as I’m on the bench, I’d like to know where he is.”
The judge said he couldn’t consider the mental health issue because no doctor is saying it, just Ward.
The judge sentenced Ward to 20 years of confinement with five years of probation. Ward is to have no contact with the victim and can’t get within 500 yards of her.
Copyright 2022 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Two former guards at Augusta State Medical Prison have been found not guilty in connection with the death of an inmate.
A two-count federal indictment unsealed in August 2025 charged Robert Roberson and Marcus Phillips violating the constitutional rights of an inmate by showing deliberate indifference to a substantial risk of harm to an inmate, resulting in his death.
The indictment alleges that on Oct. 28, 2020, Roberson and Phillips became aware of a smoldering fire in an inmate’s cell.
Rather than extinguish the fire, evacuate the inmate from his cell, remediate the smoke from the cell or call a fire emergency over the radio, they willfully disregarded the substantial risk of serious harm to the inmate by leaving him in his locked cell for several hours while he slowly died from smoke inhalation, according to the indictment.
Roberson was also acquitted of a charge of falsifying a logbook to cover up misconduct.
Inmate deaths aren’t unheard of at the prison. Among the deaths there:
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
Mrs. Amy Elizabeth Black, age 56 of Evans, Georgia passed away on May 29, 2026, at her residence surrounded by her loving family.
A native of Augusta, Georgia, Mrs. Black was born on January 8, 1970, the daughter of Cynthia Bridges Cason and the late Charles Franklin Cason. She had lived all her life in the Martinez and Evans communities and attended and graduated from Evans High School in 1988. Amy went on to pursue her degree of Education Specialist from Augusta State University. Amy was employed with the Columbia County Board of Education for 22 years as a middle school teacher. One of her favorite childhood memories was playing little league softball where she played the position of catcher. She was married to Billy Richard Black, Jr. for 27 years and just celebrated being together for 31 years. Mrs. Black attended the Wesley United Methodist Church where she enjoyed participating in the VBS programs. She was also preceded in death by her father-in-law Mr. Billy Richard Black, Sr.
Survivors include her beloved husband, Mr. Billy Richard Black, Jr. Her son, Reagan Hugh Black; her brother, Charles F. Cason, Jr. and his wife, Katie; her sister, Lisa Ann Cason-Greene and her husband, David; her mother-in-law, Mrs. Brenda Black; her sisters-in-law, Lisa Fehrenbach and her husband Ken, and Shannon Koch and her husband Thomas; a number of nieces and nephews along with one great nephew. Amy always kept her beloved pets in fond memories they being “Kerchal”, “Grisby”, “Bear” and “Sandy”.
Funeral services for Mrs. Black will be conducted on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at 2 o’clock in the afternoon at Wesley United Methodist Church 825 N. Belair Rd Evans, Ga 30809, with Rev. Greg Porterfield officiating. Interment will follow in the Bellevue Memorial Gardens 4501 Wrightboro Road, Grovetown, GA 30813.
The family will receive friends on Saturday from 12 p.m. until the service hour at the church.
The following gentlemen will serve as pallbearers and are requested to meet at the church on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and they include; Cason Greene, Christian Greene, Wyatt Cason, Wheeler Cason, Walker Cason, David Campbell and Barrett Albert.
Arrangements are being provided by Platt’s Funeral Home, 337 N. Belair Road, Evans, GA 30809 (706) 860-6166. Please take a moment to share your condolences by signing the online guestbook at plattsfuneralhome.com.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – An Augusta arts school is offering young musicians a chance to learn instruments through a summer workshop.
The Young Winds Workshop at MelodiousOne Educational Institute entered its second day this week. Students are learning to play instruments including the French horn.
“When you learn something new, you want to keep getting to it and keep doing it and it’s so much fun,” said Isla Asmann, a workshop participant.
Workshop structure
Day one focused on music theory, including lines and spaces and whole and half notes. Day two marked the first time students handled instruments.
“Today was their first time putting instrument in hand so they have the opportunity to assemble, dissemble, learn to play their first sound and first full note,” said Shea Burns, founder of MelodiousOne Educational Institute.
Asmann chose the French horn, citing its rarity and potential benefits.
“There’s only a few people that actually do it in the world so it makes good scholarships in college,” she said.
Quintan Willis, a student at MEI who returned as a helper this summer, plays clarinet and offered advice to participants.
“Starting out you will never be good at something, but if you try constantly you will actually succeed,” Willis said.
Burns said early music education affects brain development.
“The younger they are the more they can hold and as long as they can hold an instrument their brains will be way more available to them and accessible. A lot of open thought process comes through instrument playing,” Burns said.
Asmann said she sees a decline in musicians.
“There’s not as many musicians in the world as there use to be. Back then almost everyone played an instrument and since technology has been created it’s like they are listening on their phones and not playing as much,” she said.
The workshop was made possible through a grant. MelodiousOne Educational Institute completed its first year. A recital is scheduled for Friday at 1 p.m. at MEI’s location off Aumond Road. Fall semester registration is available.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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