On a Sunday evening in Covington, Georgia, a child custody exchange turned into a scene of tragedy, ending the life of 33-year-old Desiree Cash Thomas. On September 11, 2022, Desiree and her boyfriend, Craig Joshua Thomas, arrived at the home of her ex-husband, Marques Smith, to drop off the former couple's 15-year-old daughter. The situation escalated when the teenager expressed that she did not want to stay with her father.
In a sudden and violent turn of events, Smith retrieved a handgun, walked back to the vehicle where Desiree and Craig were seated, and opened fire. The shooting unfolded in front of their teenage daughter. In the immediate aftermath, the couple's car rolled forward and struck a mailbox a few houses down the street. Craig Thomas was pronounced dead at the scene, while Desiree Thomas succumbed to her injuries in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.
Marques Smith fled the scene after the shooting but later arranged to turn himself in to the Newton County Sheriff's Office around midnight. He was subsequently arrested and charged with two counts of murder, aggravated assault, cruelty to children, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
The legal proceedings that followed revealed a history of domestic violence, including a 2017 conviction for aggravated battery against Desiree. In November 2024, a Newton County jury took just over 30 minutes to convict Marques Smith on all charges, including malice murder. During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Smith had attempted to obtain a gun from a family member before the murders and played phone calls in which he described the trial as 'fun' and said he enjoyed being the 'guest of honor.' In December 2024, a judge sentenced Smith to two consecutive life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 10 years for firearm charges.
