In the fall of 2017, a domestic dispute in Athens, Georgia, tragically escalated, claiming the life of 28-year-old Quintavia Wade. The events unfolded on a Monday afternoon in October at the Columbia Brookside housing complex. Wade found herself in the middle of a volatile situation involving her cousin, Courtney Williams, and Williams' boyfriend, 27-year-old Nicholas Head. Williams had been in an abusive relationship with Head and was attempting to leave him, with Wade offering her support. Earlier that day, police had been called to a different location for a domestic dispute between Head and Williams, but he had fled before they arrived.
Later that day, the conflict moved to Wade's residence. Head, armed with a gun, confronted Wade. An Athens-Clarke County police officer, Edward Herron, was responding to a report of a man with a gun when he arrived at the scene to witness a harrowing sight. He saw Head shoot and kill Quintavia Wade. In response to the immediate threat, the officer fired at Head. Moments later, Head turned the gun on himself, sustaining a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He survived the initial injury and was transported to a local hospital in intensive care.
Following the investigation, Nicholas Head faced legal consequences for his actions. In August 2021, a Clarke County Superior Court jury found the 30-year-old guilty of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, and aggravated assault. The aggravated assault charge stemmed from a previous incident where he had attacked his girlfriend with a crowbar and a knife. At the time of Wade's murder, Head was already on probation for previous drug and gun convictions. For the murder of Quintavia Wade, he was sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 15 years. This sentence was to be served concurrently with a 116-year sentence he received for violating his probation.
