In the early hours of February 28, 2017, a dispute in Covington, Georgia, tragically cut short the life of 24-year-old Jon Trevor Townley. A White male, Townley was at a residence on Sunflower Lane when an argument broke out. The verbal altercation escalated, leading to a fatal gunshot wound that ended Townley's life.
Deputies from the Newton County Sheriff's Office responded to a call about a person shot at approximately 2 a.m. and found Townley in the front yard, bleeding from the gunshot wound. He was quickly transported to a local hospital, but his injuries proved to be fatal, and he was pronounced dead. Investigations revealed that during the argument involving Townley and another man, a woman named Rita Mary Dugar fired a weapon in Townley's direction, striking him.
Rita Mary Dugar, then 26 years old and from Canton, was arrested at the scene without incident. She was subsequently charged with murder in connection with Townley's death. Following her arrest, a grand jury in Newton County indicted Dugar on charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. She was denied bond.
In February 2021, Rita Mary Dugar faced a bench trial in Newton County Superior Court. She was found not guilty of malice murder but was convicted of felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. For these convictions, Dugar was sentenced to life in prison. She later appealed her conviction to the Georgia Supreme Court, arguing that her waiver of a jury trial was not made knowingly and that her legal counsel was ineffective. However, in August 2022, the state's highest court unanimously upheld her conviction, finding her claims to be without merit.
