Ahmori Markes Searcy, a 16-year-old African American male, tragically lost his life on March 3, 2021, in Macon, Georgia. The teenager was in the parking lot of the Majestic Gardens Apartments on Rocky Creek Road when he was fatally shot. According to the Bibb County Sheriff's Office, the call about a person down came in around 7 p.m. Responding officers discovered Searcy lying in the bushes, having been shot once.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into the death of Ahmori, who was affectionately known as 'Lil Man,' quickly led to the identification of two suspects. Warrants were issued for the arrest of 20-year-old Zontravion Hernandez and 21-year-old Vernon Grable on charges of murder. The Bibb County Sheriff's Office actively sought the public's help in locating the two men, who were known to frequent the south Macon and Bloomfield areas. A reward was offered for information leading to their arrests. The efforts paid off when Hernandez was apprehended just ten days after the shooting, and a tip from Crime Stoppers led to Grable's arrest on April 14, 2021. Both men were charged in connection with Searcy's death.
In February 2025, nearly four years after the tragic event, a jury convicted both Vernon Deshawn Grable and Zontravion Keontae Hernandez for the murder of Ahmori Searcy. Prosecutors stated that the two men had attempted to rob Searcy at gunpoint in the apartment complex's parking lot, a confrontation that ultimately led to his death. Following their conviction on charges including malice murder, felony murder, attempted armed robbery, and aggravated assault, both men were sentenced to life in prison. Hernandez was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, while Grable received a life sentence with the possibility of parole. For Ahmori's family, the convictions and sentencing marked the end of a long and painful journey toward justice.
