Macon – A Gray man was sentenced to prison Tuesday in the Halloween 2017 fatal shooting of Stewart Leslie Gordon Jr. outside a house on Macon’s Burton Avenue.
Jace Tyler Jenkins, 22, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 20 years. The first 12 years must be served in prison. He will serve the remainder on probation. Jenkins’ trial was set to begin Tuesday in Bibb County Superior Court.
If the case had gone to trial, prosecutors Sandra Matson and Jason Knowles would have presented evidence showing:
A group had gathered at a house at 1476 Burton Avenue for a Halloween party. There’s evidence that numerous people at the house were under the influence of illegal drugs.
Gordon, 38, went to the house to buy drugs. Later, after the drug sale was complete, there was a disagreement about $14 that had gone missing after the transaction. An argument ensued that spilled out onto the porch. A man struck Gordon in the head, causing him to fall off the porch.
Gordon pulled out a utility knife in an apparent attempt to confront the man who had struck him, but he didn’t engage the blade.
Jenkins, without issuing a warning to Gordon, fired one shot at Gordon who was 15 to 20 feet away in the driveway. The bullet struck Gordon in the chest. He died soon after the shooting.
Speaking after the hearing, District Attorney David Cooke said, “Firearms and illegal drugs make for a deadly mixture. I hope that Mr. Jenkins gets the treatment he needs while he’s in prison, and that others can learn from this tragedy.”
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Contact: Amy Leigh Womack
478-621-6179 (office)
478-319-2529 (cell)