In a quiet mobile home park in Allenhurst, Georgia, the life of 28-year-old Jessica Jean Gerling came to a violent end on the night of June 28, 2021. Authorities discovered the female victim shot to death, her body found near her recently purchased red Mercedes convertible at the Country Manor Mobile Home Park. The initial investigation by the Long County Sheriff's Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation quickly pointed to a complex and dangerous story that extended far beyond the
peaceful appearance of the rural community.
Jessica, a former U.S. Army veteran who had served in Missouri, Georgia, and Germany, had been a resident of Southeast Georgia for about ten years. After her military service, she took a job as a correctional officer at the nearby Smith State Prison. It was this chapter of her life that ultimately led to her demise. While working at the prison, Gerling became entangled with an inmate named Nathan Weekes and a criminal enterprise operating from within the prison walls known as the 'Yves Saint Laurent Squad.' This gang was involved in a lucrative scheme smuggling drugs, weapons, cell phones, and other contraband into the facility.
Gerling, who became romantically involved with Weekes, was allegedly a high-ranking member of the gang, sometimes referred to as the 'First Lady.' She was eventually fired from her job in June 2020 for her role in the contraband ring. Investigators believe her murder was an overt act connected to the conspiracy, suggesting she was silenced to conceal evidence of the crimes. Her death was not an isolated incident but was linked to at least two other murders ordered by Weekes from inside the prison, including the botched murder-for-hire that resulted in the death of an 88-year-old man, Bobby Kicklighter. Gerling herself was implicated in the January 2021 murder of Jerry Lee Davis before she was killed.
Following an extensive investigation, grand jurors indicted three individuals in connection with Jessica Gerling's murder. Nathan Weekes, the alleged leader of the prison gang, was charged with orchestrating the killing from behind bars. Keisha Jones, a former Smith State Prison employee and Weekes' girlfriend who acted as the gang's treasurer on the outside, was also indicted. The man accused of being the shooter is Dennis Kraft, who was reportedly recruited by Jones to carry out the murder. The three were charged with malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault.
