In the pre-dawn hours of August 18, 2022, the life of 16-year-old Jakayla Hicks, an African American female, was tragically cut short in Waycross, Georgia. The young woman was discovered in the driver's seat of a wrecked Dodge Charger that had veered off into a wooded area near the intersection of Columbus Street and Georgia 520. First responders, initially alerted to reports of gunfire in the vicinity around 4:41 a.m., found her injured and administered CPR, but she succumbed to her injuries at the scene. It was later determined that she had suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head.
The initial investigation quickly focused on the passenger in the vehicle, who was found injured some distance from the crash. This individual was identified as Jakayla's 34-year-old father, Jacmine Maurice Hicks. He was transported to Memorial Satilla Health for treatment of injuries he sustained in the crash. At the time of the incident, Jacmine Hicks was on parole for a prior voluntary manslaughter conviction.
Within a day of the incident, the Waycross Police Department secured a murder warrant for Jacmine Hicks while he was still hospitalized. On August 23, 2022, he was arrested and charged with murder, aggravated assault, possession of a sawed-off shotgun, possession of a firearm during the commission of certain crimes, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was subsequently booked into the Ware County Jail without bond.
Following a two-day trial in the Ware County Courthouse that concluded on December 12, 2025, a jury found Jacmine Maurice Hicks guilty of the felony murder of his daughter. On December 18, 2025, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 10 years. Jakayla's mother, Shawnda McNish, later spoke out about her daughter's death, expressing her grief and stating that she had previously reached out to law enforcement with concerns.
