A Buford man who attempted to rob a then teenager in 2021 will spend the rest of his life in prison.

On Thursday, a Gwinnett County jury found Jaiden Williams, 20, guilty of two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, criminal attempt to commit a felony and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony for the July 26, 2021, shooting death of 17-year-old Orbit Pough III.

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Williams, who was 17 in 2021, told Pough that he wanted to buy a TCH vape cartridge, but evidence showed Williams did not have any money on him when he met with Pough at the Kroger store parking lot in Grayson.

He did however have a gun on him, according to investigators.

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During the trial, Williams insisted that he and Pough were friends, but according to prosecutors, evidence showed the two were strangers to one another.

Williams told police on the night he shot Pough, he was riding in the car with him on the way to a drug deal. Williams said to investigators he shot Pough when he (Pough) started to look suspicious.

As their investigation progressed, police learned Pough died from a gunshot wound in his side and barrel contact marks from a shooting that occurred at close range.

Pough also had a weapon on him, but did not pull it until after Williams shot him. Pough died, however, he was also able to shoot Williams, striking him in the neck, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.

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“The victim’s family suffered a tragic loss,” District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. “The defendant was only 17 years old when he took the victim’s life. This sentence will be a long and hard lesson for him to learn from. But we simply cannot tolerate our young people following such violent paths.”

Williams was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole, plus five years on probation.

IN OTHER NEWS:

As the Atlanta Braves compete for an NL Wild Card spot, they may have missed an opportunity when the Los Angeles Dodgers waived Amed Rosario. It’s rare for the Dodgers and Andrew Friedman to any team a favor, but Rosario is a capable middle infielder who can play multiple positions.

Heck, Los Angeles acquired Rosario at the trade deadline for depth reasons. The decision to waive him so quickly was odd, to say the least. On the season, Rosario is slashing .305/.331/.417, good for an OPS of .746. He can play shortstop, second base or even in the outfield if called upon.

In fact, the fit in Atlanta was so clean the FanSided MLB Insider Robert Murray listed the Braves as one of three teams that made the most sense for his services.

“Rosario would add insurance in the infield and a capable veteran replacement for Albies, at least until he returns off the IL. And for a Braves team that is 64-57 and in second place in the National League East, a player like Rosario could be incredibly useful,” Murray wrote.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason

Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Rosario has been claimed by the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds have their own infield depth needs, and it’s quite possible the Braves never had a chance at landing Rosario. Heck, Cincinnati wasn’t even on Murray’s initial list of teams that could land Rosario, which speaks to just how much of a surprise that landing spot was in the industry.

With Albies on the injured list until further notice, and Orlando Arcia struggling to replicate his All-Star season from just a year ago, Rosario would have been a great fit in the ATL. Even in the outfield, where Rosario has limited experience in comparison to his other two primary positions, the Braves are lacking ever since Ronald Acuña Jr.’s injury.

The Reds, meanwhile has made a recent surge in the NL Wild Card. Adding this sort of utility player in mid-August is unheard of. Cincinnati is just five games back in the Wild Card race. Rosario will be a free agent after this season, but will make just $1.5 million this season.

The Reds landed a bargain, and it’s easy to see why they were interested in the first place.

Starting pitcher Chris Sale dominated again for the Atlanta Braves in the 11-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels to tie the weekend series. 

Sale pitched six innings of two-run ball, giving up six hits and two walks while striking out 10 batters. 

While Sale has been building his Cy Young case all season, he’s pushed himself into Triple Crown territory. He currently leads the National League in wins (14), ERA (2.62) and strikeouts (187). 

Make that two Braves players in the hunt with Marcell Ozuna chasing the hitting Triple Crown. 

Look, wins have lost a lot of their emphasis in recent years, but a Triple Crown finish is still rare and would cement his case for the Cy Young. 

Should he win the Triple Crown, he would be the first since Cleveland starter Shane Bieber won it in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. The last winners in a 162-game season were Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander in 2011, who each won it in their respective league’s Cy Young Award in the same season. 

For added fun, he would be the first Braves pitcher to achieve this feat was John Clarkson in 1889, when the team was called the Boston Beaneaters – so Sale would be the first to do it since the team adopted the Braves moniker in 1912. Nobody did it in the Bees years, 1936 to 1940, so pointing out that name change is a moot point. 

While a rare accomplishment, it happens more frequently than the batting Triple Crown. Since 1967, one batter has taken home the Triple Crown compared to 11 pitchers. 

But that’s never stopped the voters from giving credit where it’s due. All 11 of these Triple Crown winners won the Cy Young that same season. So Sale would be a lock for his first-ever Cy Young if he makes history. 

Checking In On Ozuna

Ozuna blew the game open early on in Anaheim with a three-run shot in the third inning to give the Braves a 4-0 lead. This gave Ozuna his 35th home run of the year, putting him within three dingers of Shohei Ohtani for the lead in the National League. 

Those three RBIs extended his lead in that category further with 93. His three-hit game boosted his average to .307, putting him a single point behind Luis Araez’s league-leading .308 average. 

It would be remarkable if teammates could win Triple Crowns in the same season. It’s yet to happen. Both pitching and hitting Triple Crowns have been won in the same year but not by teammates. Teammates have also won the Triple Crowns but not in the same year. 

Baseball is a sport that’s been around long enough to have seen nearly everything. One more of those things could be on the list come October.