Augusta, GA

Murder-suicides take grim toll: 4 lives in 14 hours

Published

2 years ago

January 16, 2024

Murder-suicides take grim toll: 4 lives in 14 hours

AIKEN, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) – Community members are looking for answers after murder-suicides in Augusta and Aiken claimed four lives in 14 hours.

What do these cases have in common and what lessons do they hold?

The Aiken murder-suicide unfolded just before 11 a.m. Monday at the Murphy USA gas station at 3575 W. Richland Ave. – a sad echo of another murder-suicide the night before on Holden Drive in Augusta.

The victim was identified as 43-year-old Tiffany Britt, and the shooter was her husband, 55-year-old George Britt. They were from Augusta.

In Aiken, witnesses said a man approached a woman, and they were yelling.

“I looked at her and I could see that she knew that … she knew that this was it for her,” said Gloria Smith, a witness. “She didn’t try to put up a fight no more. She didn’t – she just didn’t do nothing.”

The witness said she and others were at the gas pumps while the incident unfolded.

“I told everybody that we need to move back because it was like three other gentlemen and I said we need to move back because he has a gun in his pocket and it’s right at her stomach,” said Smith.

The man was asking her something.

“All she could say was, ‘I don’t know what you are talking about. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t know what you’re talking about,’” said Smith.

The witness heard the police sirens after she called 911.

“And then the next thing you know, I heard him say, ‘All right,’ and then he shot her,” said Smith.

An off-duty deputy was getting gas when he saw what was happening and tried to intervene.

“He was getting ready to run, but that gentleman caught him and they was tussling and gunshots were just going off – about 12 of them just going off, then all of a sudden, it stopped,” said Smith. “Then the next gunshot you heard was him shooting himself in the head.”

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“I’m emotionally all over the place,” said Smith. “I want to cry now, but I’m doing everything I can not to.”

The shooter died on the scene and the victim died at Aiken Regional Medical Center, according to Aiken County Coroner Darryl Ables.

They will be autopsied Wednesday in Newberry, according to Ables.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is handling the investigation.

In Augusta, 41-year-old Rebecca Williams was fatally shot Sunday night by her husband, Michael Williams, 43, who then killed himself, according to authorities. That incident happened around 9 p.m. at their home in the 1200 block of Holden Drive.

Both were pronounced dead at 9:50 p.m.

Richmond County Coroner Mark Bowen said autopsies have been scheduled.

In Augusta, 41-year-old Rebecca Williams was fatally shot Sunday night by her husband, Michael Williams, 43, who then killed himself, according to authorities. That incident happened around 9 p.m. at their home in the 1200 block of Holden Drive.(WRDW/WAGT)

The murder-suicides are among about 600 that happen every year in the U.S.

A 2022 analysis published by the FBI found 65% of murder-suicides involve intimate partners, and 81% happen in the home. When partners are involved, more than half of the killers have a history of domestic conflict.

Most murder-suicides involve one killer and one victim, but not always, according to the analysis. Children are sometimes victims, but most are adults.

Guns are the main weapon used.

Beyond that, there are other patterns, according to the FBI.

Murder-suicides are overwhelmingly carried out by white men, especially older ones. From 2003 to 2005, statistics show 91.4% of murder-suicides were committed by males, 97.6% were committed by people over age 19 and 77% were committed by people identified as white.

Experts aren’t sure whether the main goal is murder, suicide or something else, but these factors are often at play:

A negative dynamic like abuse, infidelity or a perceived injustice in the relationship between the killer and victim.
A sense of obligation toward the victim, like protecting them from the stigma or shame of a planned suicide or the hurtful consequences of something the killer has done.
The killer’s intent to relieve the victim of suffering due to illness or disability.

As for how to prevent murder-suicides, the FBI has no clear answer. But one approach may be to take some cues from efforts to prevent suicide.

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Augusta, GA

Augusta man missing off Georgia coast as search continues

Published

10 hours ago

December 21, 2025

Press Room

Augusta man missing off Georgia coast as search continues

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Coast Guard and McIntosh County Fire Department continued searching Friday for an Augusta man who went missing off the Georgia coast, as a body was found Thursday.

Roman Waldera’s daughter spoke about the last conversation she had with her father before he disappeared while fishing.

“I actually spoke to my dad in the morning he went missing. We talked back and forth a little bit and then he told me, well, I’m on the boat. I’ve got to get going. We’re going to start fishing. And I was like, all right, we’ll be careful. I love you,” she said.

The Coast Guard called her after Waldera went missing.

“After we got the call, my first goal was to get down there and start searching the island of Blackbeard,” she said.

Community joins search efforts

Shellman’s Fish Camp and other local boat owners joined the search in Sapelo Sound.

“I mean, everybody in the area who had a boat, they were on the sound, and it ended up, I was coordinating with the Coast Guard this whole time,” Waldera’s daughter said.

She said her father’s teachings motivated her to take action.

“So my dad raised me and my grandparents to get it done. Don’t wait around. Don’t sit around. Don’t wait for someone else to do the work. If someone’s going to make it happen, it’s going to be you. And I just, I thought, what would my dad want? He’d want me down there and he would want me looking,” she said.

She described what she would do if reunited with her father.

“I think I just hugged him. I think he just hugged me because I think he knows that I was down there. I was all alone doing that, looking for him all day long. I slept in his room. I think he knows. I think he knows everything, and I don’t think there need to be any words. I think we just love each other,” she said.

The Coast Guard asks anyone with information about the disappearance to call 843-453-1261. Officials said crews not part of the official search can create unsafe conditions and hinder response efforts.

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Augusta, GA

Former WWE stars involved in ‘Wrestling for a Cause’ event in Augusta

Published

22 hours ago

December 21, 2025

Press Room

Former WWE stars involved in ‘Wrestling for a Cause’ event in Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The community wrestled for a cause at the Georgia-Carolina fairgrounds Saturday night.

Famous wrestlers from the WWE came to the CSRA for the show.

Silent Fights raised money for a local family that lost their home to a fire, as well as former WWE star Toni Rose, who is battling cancer.

Former WWE stars like Johnny Swinger and Heath Slater made appearances.

We spoke with these headliners and CSRA Championship Wrestling about the event.

This is definitely the biggest card of the year. WWE star here, Heat Slater, myself, TNA, WWE, all the major organizations. And we got some good young up and coming talent here that’s going to go out there and tear it up and do the best that we can,” said Swinger.

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Augusta, GA

Is weed legal in Georgia after Trump signs order to reclassify marijuana?

Published

1 day ago

December 20, 2025

Press Room

Is weed legal in Georgia after Trump signs order to reclassify marijuana?

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday, Dec. 18, reclassifying marijuana as a Scheduled III narcotic, a drop from the more severe Scheduled I narcotic it had been classified in for nearly 6 decades.

Since 1970, marijuana has been classified as a Schedule I drug, the same category as heroin, LSD, methaqualone and ecstasy. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) describes Schedule I substances as having no “medical use and a high potential for abuse.”

A review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found “scientific support for its use to treat anorexia related to a medical condition, nausea and vomiting, and pain,” Trump said in the executive order.

That review came after former President Joe Biden suggested his administration take a look at reclassifying the drug in 2023. The Department of Health and Human Services also recommended that year that marijuana be reclassified based on widespread use of medical marijuana across 43 U.S. jurisdictions for more than 6 million registered patients to treat at least 15 medical conditions, the EO said.

Is marijuana now legal in Georgia?

Not yet. In fact, it’s only in the infancy of review at the federal level. Lawmakers in Georgia will have to decide if it will allow marijuana at a state level.

Many states, however, 24 to be exact, have already legalized marijuana before Trump’s order, although Georgia remains on the sidelines.

While 24 states have adopted laws allowing adults to purchase and consume cannabis for non-medical use, Georgia continues to prohibit it.

But what does the Peach State allow medically?

Has Georgia legalized recreational marijuana?

No, Georgia does not allow adult-use of cannabis.

According to NORML, possession for personal use, even under an ounce, is punishable as a misdemeanor with up to 12 months in jail or up to a $1,000 fine.

Possessing more than an ounce is a felony, carrying penalties of 1 to 10 years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine.

Does Georgia allow marijuana medically?

Georgia allows marijuana for medical purposes only, and exclusively in the form of low-THC oil (5% THC or less). Registered patients can possess up to 20 fluid ounces.