In the early morning hours of June 22, 2017, the life of 22-year-old Voisel Javon Renfro was tragically cut short in Milledgeville, Georgia. A Baldwin County Sheriff's Office deputy discovered Renfro's body lying face down in the yard between two duplexes on Marion Street. An autopsy later confirmed that he had died from a single gunshot wound to the chest.
At the time of his death, Renfro was a male resident of Milledgeville and reportedly lived with his grandmother.
The investigation into Renfro's death quickly led authorities to a suspect. The day after the shooting, the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office announced they had secured arrest warrants for Orlando Tatum. Tatum was subsequently charged with murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. A few days later, on June 27, 2017, Tatum turned himself in to law enforcement and was taken into custody without bond.
Authorities suggested that Renfro's murder was an act of retaliation. The previous year, Renfro had been arrested and charged with giving false statements and tampering with evidence in connection with the shooting death of Deandre Ricky Bolston. Renfro pleaded guilty to those charges and was sentenced to probation. It was believed that his killing was directly related to his involvement in that prior case.
In February 2019, Orlando Terrell Tatum, who had been indicted on charges of malice murder, felony murder, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, entered an Alford plea to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter. This type of plea meant he did not admit guilt but acknowledged that the prosecution had enough evidence to likely secure a conviction. Following the plea agreement, Tatum was sentenced to 20 years, with the first seven to be served in prison, followed by 13 years of probation.
