On a Sunday evening, November 22, 2020, in Macon, Georgia, 49-year-old Ruben Romero Gonzalez was sitting in his truck at the River Bend Apartments on Mercer University Drive, listening to music. This peaceful moment was shattered when he was approached in what would be a fatal robbery attempt. A single gunshot ended his life. He was rushed to the Navicent Health Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the death of the Hispanic male began with some initial confusion.
Investigators first arrested 37-year-old Guadalupe Hernandez Perez, who had been in the vehicle with Gonzalez. Perez gave investigators false statements, including a claim that he was not present during the shooting, and was subsequently charged with murder. However, as the investigation progressed, new evidence emerged, including video footage of the entire incident. This new evidence revealed that Perez was indeed inside the truck when the shooting occurred but left shortly after. Based on this, the murder charge against Perez was dropped, though he remained in custody on an unrelated matter and an immigration hold.
The focus of the investigation shifted to a group of males who were seen gathering near Gonzalez's vehicle just before the shooting. The video evidence and cooperation from eyewitnesses proved crucial in identifying the actual perpetrator and his accomplices. Investigators identified 21-year-old Jaqwaray Hollingshed as the man who approached the truck, robbed Gonzalez, and fired the fatal shot. Over the following weeks, several other suspects were identified and taken into custody. These included 22-year-old Jamal DeShawn Roundtree, 21-year-old Devin Smiley, 18-year-old Thomas Samuel Pate, and 19-year-old Emmanuel Smart, who was the sixth and final suspect to be apprehended. The charges against these individuals varied, including murder, Party to a Crime, and armed robbery.
With overwhelming evidence against him, including the video and the testimony of four eyewitnesses, Jaqwaray Hollingshed's case moved toward trial. On the eve of his trial, he pled guilty to charges of Malice Murder, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. The court sentenced him to life in prison plus an additional five years. Among those present in the courtroom to witness the sentencing was Ruben Romero Gonzalez's 11-year-old daughter. The District Attorney for the Macon Judicial Circuit, Anita Howard, publicly thanked the eyewitnesses whose cooperation was instrumental in securing the conviction and bringing a measure of justice to Gonzalez's family.
