On a tragic night in Henry County, Georgia, the life of Keith Allen Gibson, a 29-year-old Caucasian male from Covington, was cut short. On October 26, 2016, a group of friends had gathered for a bonfire and party at a home on Moccasin Gap Road. The night took a horrifying turn when gunfire erupted, leaving a scene of devastation that would be discovered in the early hours of October 27. When authorities arrived, they found three individuals deceased inside the residence. Keith Gibson, along with 18-year-old Matthew Hicks and 20-year-old Sophia Bullard, had been fatally shot. A fourth victim, 20-year-old Destiny Olinger, was found critically injured and transported to a local hospital, but she tragically succumbed to her injuries a couple of days later.
The investigation into the quadruple homicide quickly led to arrests. Two men from McDonough, 22-year-old Jacob Cole Kosky and 19-year-old Matthew Baker Jr., were taken into custody. According to criminal warrants, Kosky had been at the party earlier in the evening, left, and then returned with the intent to commit robbery and murder. He was identified as the gunman. Baker was accused of aiding and abetting the crime, allegedly providing Kosky with the firearm used in the slayings and assisting him in fleeing the scene afterward. In addition to the primary suspects, three others who were at the party, Kayla Head, Brooke Knight, and Jacob Williams, were arrested and charged with misdemeanor obstruction of a police investigation for allegedly not cooperating with authorities.
In January 2017, a Henry County Grand Jury handed down indictments against both Kosky and Baker. Kosky was indicted on numerous charges, including four counts of malice murder, eight counts of felony murder, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Baker was also indicted on multiple counts, including malice murder and felony murder. Both men remained held in the Henry County jail as they awaited trial for their alleged roles in what became known as the "Bonfire murders."
The legal process unfolded over several years, leading to a significant development in the case. While Jacob Kosky confessed to committing the murders, the case against his co-defendant proceeded to trial. In May 2024, after nearly seven years, a jury found Matthew Baker not guilty on all charges related to the murders. Baker, who had faced the possibility of the death penalty, was released from jail, though he still faced a separate, unrelated theft charge. His family maintained his innocence throughout the ordeal, and his acquittal marked the final chapter in the long and tragic case.
