In the spring of 2018, a quiet street in Cordele, Georgia, became the scene of a brutal crime that would ultimately claim the lives of two women. On the morning of Saturday, May 5, 2018, police responded to a call of a shooting in the 400-block of East 21st Ave. Inside the residence, they discovered two victims. Shawna Ware, a 31-year-old female, was found deceased at the scene. The second victim, 33-year-old Sheena Jones, was critically injured and transported to Crisp Regional Hospital before being transferred to the Medical Center, Navicent Health in Macon. Jones succumbed to her injuries and passed away on Monday, May 7.
Investigators quickly identified James Lonnie Smith as the suspect in the double homicide. Following the shooting, Smith fled the area, prompting a multi-agency manhunt. Law enforcement officials tracked him to the Scottish Inn in Perry, Georgia. In the early hours of Sunday, May 6, the Houston County Sheriff's Office SWAT team executed a search warrant at the motel. As officers attempted to enter his room, Smith opened fire, striking their ballistic shields multiple times. Officers returned fire, and after a brief standoff that lasted approximately ten minutes, Smith was taken into custody without injury.
Following his arrest, James Lonnie Smith was charged with two counts of murder and aggravated assault. Initially, the District Attorney's office sought the death penalty for the killings. However, in April 2025, Smith entered a guilty plea to a multitude of charges, including malice murder, felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, home invasion, and multiple firearms offenses. In exchange for his guilty plea, the death penalty was dropped. Smith was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, with an additional 25 years added to his sentence. The investigation revealed that Smith had used two separate handguns to shoot and kill Ware and Jones.
