On the quiet morning of March 4, 2015, in Warrenton, Georgia, a grim discovery was made at a residence on Mitchell Road, shattering the peace of the small community. Inside the home, law enforcement found the bodies of 28-year-old Tenecia Posley, an African American woman from Warrenton, and 47-year-old Barry Johnson of Mitchell, Georgia. Both had been shot to death in what the Georgia Bureau of Investigation quickly determined to be a double homicide. Adding a layer of poignancy to the tragic scene, a child was found unharmed inside the residence.
The investigation into the brutal slayings led authorities to three suspects from the nearby city of Thomson. In November 2015, the GBI arrested 22-year-old Donovon Raishad Fitts and 24-year-old Jermanique Vashon Franklin, charging both with two counts of murder. The following month, a third suspect, 23-year-old DeAundre Javarus Ross, was also taken into custody and faced the same charges. The trio was eventually indicted on a slew of charges that painted a picture of a violent home invasion, including malice murder, felony murder, burglary, armed robbery, false imprisonment, and aggravated assault.
The trial for the three men commenced in Warren County Superior Court, where the prosecution laid out its case, arguing that the defendants had acted as co-conspirators in the planning and execution of the brutal murders. Eyewitness testimony of a suspicious vehicle seen near the crime scene helped investigators piece together the events of that fateful day. After hearing the evidence, the jury returned a mixed verdict. Donovan Fitts was found guilty on multiple counts, including malice murder, felony murder, and armed robbery. Jermanique V. Franklin was convicted of felony murder, burglary, and armed robbery. The third defendant, Deaundre Ross, was acquitted of all charges. For their roles in the deaths of Tenecia Posley and Barry Johnson, both Fitts and Franklin were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
