On a summer night in Columbus, Georgia, 17-year-old Jesse Ransom was driving a silver sedan through the Wilson Apartment complex. It was June 14, 2021, and inside the vehicle with him were three other teenagers. As they passed a home across the street from the apartments, their presence was noted by three men: Rodderick Glanton, then 28, Homer Upshaw, 28, and Terrance Upshaw, 31.
Surveillance footage from the area captured the sedan driving past the residence multiple times.
After the first pass, the three men, who were members of the Marlo Gang, took notice of the car. By the third time the vehicle appeared, they had positioned themselves for an attack. On the fourth pass, Glanton and both Upshaw brothers opened fire on the small sedan. A barrage of over 60 shell casings was later found at the scene by investigators, a testament to the intensity of the assault. The car, riddled with bullets, wrecked at the scene. The gunfire continued even after the vehicle had crashed and its occupants were clearly struck.
The aftermath was devastating. Jesse Ransom was killed in the driver's seat. Saiveon Pugh, an 18-year-old passenger seated behind Ransom, also succumbed to his injuries. Another passenger, a 16-year-old male, was injured but able to walk on the scene, while the fourth occupant, an 18-year-old male, was transported to a hospital and survived. Investigators found no evidence that any shots were fired from within Ransom's vehicle. The shooting also endangered the wider community, with stray bullets damaging other cars and apartment units in the complex.
The investigation led by the Columbus Police Department's Homicide Unit quickly identified Rodderick Glanton, Homer Upshaw, and Terrance Upshaw as the perpetrators. In November 2023, following an 11-day trial, a Muscogee County jury found all three men guilty on all 24 counts against them. The charges included Malice Murder, Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault, and multiple violations of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. Subsequently, all three were sentenced to life in prison for the murders of Jesse Ransom and Saiveon Pugh. Glanton and Terrance Upshaw received sentences of life plus 25 years, while Homer Upshaw was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, plus 25 years.
