In a quiet Duluth, Georgia neighborhood, a friendly gathering took a tragic and unexpected turn, leaving two men dead. One of the victims was Michael William Liberty II, a 51-year-old male. On the evening of Sunday, January 22, 2017, Liberty and his friend, 40-year-old Charles 'Brown' Tyree, were at a home on Hopkins Mill Lane. They had been invited over by a young man who was a friend of their family.
What began as a casual visit ended in bloodshed.
For reasons that remain unclear, the host, 24-year-old Davon Dayron Jones, opened fire on his two guests. Liberty was struck in the back of the head, and Tyree was shot in the top of his head. A 911 call was made reporting that two men had been shot inside the residence and that the shooter had fled the scene. When Gwinnett County Police officers arrived, they found Tyree deceased in the garage. Liberty was critically injured and rushed to Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville, where he succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly led to the arrest of Davon Dayron Jones. He was taken into custody and subsequently charged with two counts of felony murder and two counts of aggravated assault. During the investigation, Jones claimed the shooting was accidental. His aunt supported this claim, stating that the gun had unintentionally discharged while Jones was showing it to Liberty and Tyree, whom she described as 'gun enthusiasts.' However, prosecutors painted a different picture, revealing that Jones's family had previously taken several guns away from him due to concerns about his 'behavioral issues.' They also presented evidence that Jones was familiar with firearms, had taken a gun safety course, and frequented a firing range.
During his trial, the prosecution argued that there was no apparent motive for the killings. The conversation between Jones and the victims before the shooting was not described as an argument. After a seven-day trial and six hours of deliberation, a jury found Davon Jones guilty of two counts of felony murder, one count of malice murder for the death of Michael Liberty, two counts of aggravated assault, and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He was acquitted of the malice murder charge in the death of Charles Tyree. The conviction brought a close to the legal proceedings, though the question of why a young man would suddenly and senselessly kill two of his father's friends in his own home remains unanswered.
