In the early morning hours of June 21, 2015, the life of 29-year-old Devin Devon Smith, a Black/African American woman from Moultrie, Georgia, was tragically cut short. The incident unfolded around 5 a.m. at the Shy Manor apartment complex on Northside Drive, where multiple gunshots shattered the morning calm. When officers from the Moultrie Police Department arrived at the scene, they discovered Smith unresponsive, having been shot multiple times. She was quickly transported to Colquitt Regional Medical Center, but tragically succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the shooting swiftly identified a primary suspect: 30-year-old Jamie Jermaine Stamper, also of Moultrie. Witnesses at the scene identified Stamper as the individual who had shot Smith. It was revealed that Smith and Stamper had been involved in an 'on-again, off-again' relationship for several years. The motive behind the fatal shooting appeared to be a domestic altercation that had violently escalated. Prior to the shooting, Stamper had reportedly been choking and hitting Smith in the face with his fists while she was on the phone.
Following the shooting, Stamper fled the scene, prompting a three-day manhunt. Authorities issued a warrant for his arrest and sought public assistance in locating him. A tip from the public eventually led police to a mobile home on Dunn Road where Stamper was found hiding in a hallway of the residence, which had no active utilities. Upon his arrest, he repeatedly questioned who had turned him in. At the scene of the crime, investigators found Stamper's cell phone and one of his shoes, with a second shoe discovered near a local junior high school.
Jamie Jermaine Stamper faced charges of malice murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. During his trial, four residents of the apartment complex where the shooting occurred testified about what they had seen and heard that night. After a deliberation that lasted approximately 30 minutes, the jury returned a guilty verdict on both counts. Considering Stamper's extensive history of violence, which included three prior convictions for aggravated assault, the judge handed down a sentence of life in prison. Under the terms of his sentence, he will not be eligible for parole until he has served a minimum of 30 years.
