On a late Saturday evening in Macon, Georgia, the life of 40-year-old Lester Summers, a male resident of the city, was tragically cut short. It was just before 11:00 p.m. on September 10, 2022, when deputies responded to a call about a person down on Grier Street. Upon their arrival, they discovered Summers between two houses in the 300 block of the street, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was quickly transported to a local hospital, Atrium Health, but succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased by the hospital staff. Another man, who was 34 years old, was also wounded in the incident and was taken to a different hospital, where he was listed in stable condition. The death of Lester Summers marked a grim milestone for the city, becoming its 50th homicide of the year.
The investigation into the shooting led Bibb County Sheriff's Office investigators to identify a suspect in the case. On September 30, 2022, investigators charged 37-year-old Turquell Shermain Cone with the murder of Lester Summers. At the time the murder warrant was served, Cone was already incarcerated at the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center. He had been arrested just three days after the shooting, on September 13, 2022, on unrelated drug and firearm charges. A search warrant executed at a residence on Monroe Street had resulted in the seizure of a stolen handgun, an altered shotgun, methamphetamine, and cocaine.
Following the investigation, Turquell Shermain Cone was indicted on several serious charges related to the death of Lester Summers. These charges include malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Cone entered a plea of not guilty to the charges brought against him. His case was scheduled to go to trial in April 2025, with a judge assigned to oversee the proceedings. While awaiting trial for the murder charge, Cone was serving a sentence at Ware State Prison for the prior drug convictions.
