In the small city of Vienna, Georgia, a domestic dispute on the evening of Thursday, May 10, 2018, escalated into a tragedy that ended the life of 42-year-old Balinda Woodson. Earlier in the day, police had been called to the residence at 311 N. 5th Street due to her son, 20-year-old Tony Adams Jr., 'acting up.' Though officers responded, Adams remained in the home he shared with his mother and her husband.
Later that night, the situation intensified when Adams broke a window in his room, angering his mother and prompting another call to the police. Officers responded again, but Adams was not removed from the house. The conflict reached its fatal conclusion after the police left. According to Woodson's husband, Adams chased his mother into her bedroom. Her husband witnessed what appeared to be a stabbing motion, followed by the sound of gunshots.
When law enforcement returned to the home for a third time, they were met by Adams outside, who had a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his upper left arm. Inside the residence, they discovered Balinda Woodson deceased. She had sustained a single stab wound and multiple gunshot wounds to her upper torso. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in to assist the Vienna Police Department with the investigation.
Tony Adams Jr. was taken into custody at the Dooly County Sheriff's Office Jail after receiving treatment for his arm injury. He was subsequently charged with two counts of aggravated assault, one count of malice murder, and one count of felony murder. Adams initially claimed to police that his mother's death was a suicide, but the forensic evidence did not support his account. When confronted, he admitted to killing her over a 'situation' between them.
In July 2018, a jury convicted Tony Adams Jr. of the murder of his mother and aggravated assault, rejecting his claim of self-defense. During his trial, Adams made a claim of being possessed at the time of the killing, an assertion that was met with skepticism by his own attorney. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 25 years. Adams later appealed his conviction, arguing that his attorney had failed to adequately represent him by not pursuing an insanity defense. However, in January 2026, the Georgia Supreme Court upheld his murder conviction, ensuring he would remain incarcerated for the death of his mother, though they did find he was improperly sentenced on the aggravated assault charge.
