In the quiet town of Waynesboro, Georgia, the winter of 2017 was shattered by a violent intrusion that left a lasting scar on the community. On the evening of January 23rd, 65-year-old Marshall Jordan Jr., a male resident of Burke County, was at a home on River Road when tragedy struck. In an instant, the peace was broken by the eruption of gunfire, an event that would claim two lives and injure another.
Two armed men burst into the residence and opened fire, forever altering the lives of those inside. When the chaos subsided, Marshall Jordan Jr. and 64-year-old Eddie Louis Grubbs lay dead, their lives abruptly ended by the hail of bullets. A third man, Walter Smith, who was 65 at the time, was also struck by the gunfire, sustaining a wound to his leg but surviving the brutal attack. The incident sent shockwaves through the close-knit community, prompting an intense investigation by the Burke County Sheriff's Office to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The search for the individuals responsible for the double homicide and assault was swift and far-reaching. Investigators quickly identified a suspect, Quame Lamar Collins, who was 26 years old at the time of the murders. The pursuit of Collins extended beyond the borders of Georgia, culminating in his apprehension by U.S. Marshals in New York in March 2017. Collins, who was on probation at the time of the killings, was extradited back to Georgia to face a litany of charges for his role in the deadly home invasion.
In June 2021, Quame Lamar Collins faced the consequences of his actions in a courtroom. He was tried on a total of ten felony charges, including two counts of murder for the deaths of Marshall Jordan Jr. and Eddie Lewis Grubbs. The court handed down a severe sentence, ensuring Collins would spend the remainder of his days behind bars. He received two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for the murders. In addition to the life sentences, he was sentenced to life for armed robbery, 20 years for the aggravated assault on Walter Smith, and further time for firearm possession charges, all to be served consecutively.
