In the early morning hours of August 11, 2015, the quiet of the Pebble Brook subdivision in Covington, Georgia, was broken by the discovery of a young man's body lying in the street. The victim, a Black male identified as 19-year-old Caylen Gooch, had been shot. At the time of his death, Gooch was a sophomore at Clayton State University. Investigators found a trail of blood indicating that Gooch had walked 75 to 100 yards before collapsing. An autopsy later revealed he had been shot once in the face at close range and once in the back.
The investigation into the death of the Newton County resident quickly led to a suspect. On the Friday following the discovery of Gooch's body, the Newton County Sheriff's Office arrested 20-year-old William Dontrel Winston of Covington. Winston was taken into custody without incident and charged with felony murder, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. Prior to his arrest for the murder, Winston had been taken into custody by the Rockdale County Sheriff's Office on two counts of entering an auto.
The case against William 'Waldo' Winston proceeded to trial in November 2016. Key testimony came from Jourdan Phillips, a close friend of Gooch, who was with both the victim and the perpetrator on the night of the murder. Phillips described a series of events that began with an arranged marijuana deal that never materialized. The trio drove around for hours, with Winston directing them. After Phillips was dropped off, Winston remained with Gooch. Another friend of Winston's testified that Winston had shown up at his house later that night, pacing and sweating, and saying he had 'f'd up.' Although Winston denied being present at the time of the shooting, the jury found him guilty on all counts. He was sentenced to life in prison for malice murder, with an additional 20 years for armed robbery and five years for the firearm possession charge. In May 2018, the Georgia Supreme Court unanimously upheld Winston's conviction.
