In the early evening of November 27, 2020, a dispute over a marijuana transaction in Statesboro, Georgia, tragically escalated, leading to the death of 19-year-old Morice Devone Shiggs. The incident unfolded in a parking lot at the 111 South apartment complex on Rucker Lane, where a confrontation over alleged counterfeit money used in the drug deal erupted into a shootout.
When Statesboro police officers responded to reports of shots fired at approximately 7:30 p.m., they discovered Shiggs on the ground, suffering from a single gunshot wound to his side that had entered his chest. Despite the officers' attempts at first aid and CPR, he succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
The investigation into the shooting led to the arrests of four men over the following months. Cecil Darryl Kelly of Garfield, Anthony James Sea Jr. of Statesboro, and Ladarian Talik Golfin and Immanuel Marquavis Hendrix, both from Millen, were all charged in connection with Shiggs' death. The indictment included charges of felony murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Prosecutors asserted that Sea, believing he had been paid with counterfeit money by Shiggs, gathered the other three men to find him. This led to a confrontation where at least 14 shots were fired from two different handguns. It was during this exchange that Hendrix allegedly fired the fatal shot that struck Shiggs.
The four men were tried together in June 2022, but the proceedings ended in a mistrial after the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict. A retrial was held in September of the same year. In this second trial, the jury reached a decisive outcome after two days of testimony. They found Anthony James Sea Jr., identified as the ringleader who initiated the search for Shiggs, and Immanuel Marquavis Hendrix, the man believed to have fired the deadly shot, guilty of felony murder, aggravated assault, and the firearm charge.
Conversely, the jury acquitted Ladarian Talik Golfin and Cecil Darryl Kelly of all charges. For their roles in the death of Morice Shiggs, Anthony James Sea Jr., then 29, and Immanuel Marquavis Hendrix, then 24, faced sentencing. Despite apologies and expressions of regret from both men to Shiggs' family, the judge handed down the maximum sentence. Both were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the felony murder conviction, with an additional five consecutive years for the possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
