Juries return 2 guilty verdicts in Richmond County murders

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Juries in Richmond County returned guilty verdicts in two separate 2019 cases this week.

On Thursday morning, a jury found Jamario Anderson, 25, of Augusta, guilty of killing a man for dating his ex-girlfriend.

Described by District Attorney Jared Williams as an abusive boyfriend turned scorned lover, Anderson was convicted of malice murder, felony murder, three counts of aggravated assault and four counts of possession of a firearm during commission of a felony.

Judge Amanda Heath sentenced him to life without parole plus 80 years in confinement.

The defendant and victim were at a party on Aug. 31, 2019, off Goldfinch Drive. The defendant walked into a room where the victim was sitting with the defendant’s ex-girlfriend. The defendant got angry and asked the victim, “You talking to my girl?” When the victim replied, “Something like that,” the defendant pulled out a .45-caliber handgun and executed him, firing six shots, according to Williams.

Despite the evidence to the contrary, the defendant took the stand Wednesday and claimed he was shooting because the victim had a gun, Williams said.

“Pictures don’t lie,” Assistant District Attorney Justin Mullis of the DA’s Special Victims Unit told the jury, explaining that the trajectory of the bullets proved the victim was still seated when he was killed. This evidence cut against the defendant’s story that he was acting in self-defense.

“Winning trials is a result of the hardworking team we have in place,” Williams said Thursday. “But our goal in the District Attorney’s Office is to change lives, not simply win cases. We need support from our community to put an end to the senseless violence that tears families apart.”

Robbery gone wrong

Also this week, Day’Shon Kimble, 25, of Augusta, was convicted of felony murder and possession of a firearm during commission of a felony, according to District Attorney Jared Williams.

A Richmond County jury found him guilty of all counts in the slaying of Jahlil Brickhouse on July 24, 2019.

Judge Flythe sentenced Kimble to life in prison plus five years, according to Williams.

The murder occurred during a robbery gone wrong, according to Williams.

Kimble devised a plot to rob the victim by luring him to an apartment complex off Lumpkin Road under the pretense of purchasing marijuana, according to Williams. Realizing he was being robbed, the victim fought back, but Kimble shot him in the back, according to Williams.

Despite the success this week, Williams said he still recognizes the need for crime prevention.

“We win more trials than ever, but there are no real winners when a victim is dead and a family is in pain,” he said Thursday. “Success for me is not the number of convictions we obtain, but the number of lives we change. I want an end to the violence, and that work must start long before the courts get involved.”

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