In the spring of 2018, a terrible event shattered the peace of Cordele, Georgia, resulting in the tragic death of 33-year-old Sheena Jones. On a Saturday in early May, gunshots rang out in the 400-block of East 21st Avenue, leaving one woman, Shawna Ware, dead at the scene and Jones critically injured. Jones was rushed to the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, where she fought for her life for two days before sadly passing away on Monday, May 7, 2018. She was a female resident of Cordele at the time of her passing.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly pointed to one suspect, James Lonnie Smith. Following the shooting, Smith fled the scene, sparking a manhunt that ended the next day at the Scottish Inn in Perry, Georgia. There, a tense standoff ensued as the Houston County Sheriff's Office SWAT team attempted to apprehend him. Smith fired at the officers, striking their ballistic shields, before they were able to take him into custody.
In the aftermath of the violent events, James Lonnie Smith was charged with two counts of murder and aggravated assault. Initially, the District Attorney's Office sought the death penalty for his crimes. However, in April 2025, Smith entered a guilty plea to a multitude of charges, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, home invasion, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. By pleading guilty, he avoided the death penalty and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, with an additional 25 years tacked on to his sentence, bringing a measure of closure to a case that had deeply affected the community.
