On February 22, 2021, the life of 36-year-old Keith Tyson Basham, a White/Caucasian male, was tragically cut short in Buchanan, Georgia. Deputies from the Haralson County Sheriff's Office were initially called to a residence on Hilltop Drive for a report of a possible cardiac arrest. Upon their arrival, they discovered Basham deceased, not from natural causes, but from what were determined to be gunshot wounds.
The medical examiner later confirmed that the cause of death was homicide.
The investigation into Basham's death quickly led to a suspect, Jalen Shakur Biggs, who was 24 years old at the time and from South Carolina. Within hours of the incident, investigators from the Haralson County Sheriff's Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation were able to identify and locate Biggs in South Carolina, where he was apprehended. He was subsequently charged with malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault in connection with Basham's death and was extradited to Haralson County to face trial.
During the trial at the Haralson County Courthouse, compelling evidence was presented against Jalen Shakur Biggs, including surveillance footage from two different angles that captured the entirety of the fatal encounter. The video evidence showed that Basham had remained in his carport and never left the area. In contrast, Biggs was seen approaching Basham from the road, brandishing a handgun, and firing twice, striking Basham in the torso. This visual evidence directly contradicted a 911 call Biggs himself had made hours after the shooting, in which he claimed to have acted in self-defense. The footage made it clear that Basham had not presented a threat to Biggs.
The jury deliberated for less than an hour before returning a guilty verdict on all charges: malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault. Following his conviction, Jalen Shakur Biggs was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Keith Tyson Basham.
