On a summer evening in Cordele, Georgia, the life of 38-year-old Kenneth Armstrong, a Black / African American male, was cut short. On June 9, 2019, at approximately 10:30 p.m., gunshots shattered the quiet of the 2200 block of Roosevelt Street. When deputies from the Crisp County Sheriff's Office arrived, they discovered Armstrong inside a vehicle, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Crisp Regional Hospital, but tragically succumbed to his injuries around midnight.
The investigation into Armstrong's death quickly pointed to a suspect: 26-year-old Michael Anthony Savage, a resident of Cordele who had recently been released from prison. Investigators believed that Armstrong and Savage were acquainted. According to reports, Armstrong had been called to the residence where Savage was located. Before Armstrong could even exit his vehicle, Savage allegedly shot him eight times. The car then rolled into a nearby ditch. A neighbor later recalled hearing the gunshots followed by what sounded like a skid mark.
Following the shooting, Savage fled the scene, prompting a two-day manhunt. Law enforcement, including the Crisp County Sheriff's Office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Marshal Middle Georgia Fugitive Task Force, collaborated in the search. Savage was apprehended without incident in neighboring Dooly County. He was subsequently charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
In May 2025, Michael Anthony Savage was convicted by a jury on all charges related to the murder of Kenneth Armstrong. For his crimes, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional ten years. Crisp County Sheriff Billy Hancock expressed that the community was safer with Savage, a repeat offender, behind bars.
