In the small town of Montezuma, Georgia, a mother unknowingly listened to the last moments of her son's life over a police scanner. On the night of Sunday, April 16, 2017, Gladys Simpson heard the crackle of five gunshots, followed by the labored gasps of a man fighting for his life just a few miles from her home. It wasn't until later that she would learn the man on the ground was her 44-year-old son, Willie 'Willrock' Simpson Jr. He was shot and later died at a hospital in Americus.
The events of that Easter night unfolded into a homicide investigation, but the alleged gunman did not remain at large for long. Several hours after the shooting, Tony Davis Jr. turned himself into the authorities. The news of his surrender did little to quell the shock and confusion of those who knew both men. According to Willie Simpson's mother, her son and Davis were friends, and she was unaware of any problems between them.
The community was left to grapple with the senseless violence that had taken a life. Investigators began the work of piecing together the circumstances that led to the fatal encounter, while a family was left to mourn a man they said did not deserve to die in such a 'cold-blooded' manner.
