On an autumn day in 2014, the quiet community of Newnan, Georgia, was shaken by the discovery of a grim scene. Inside a residence on Widgeon Drive, the bodies of two young men were found, their lives cut short by violence. One of the victims was 20-year-old Michael Allen Cantrell, a Caucasian male. Alongside him was his friend, 26-year-old Wesley Daniel Watson.
Both men had been fatally shot in what investigators would soon determine was a double homicide.
The Coweta County Sheriff's Office launched an intensive investigation into the deaths. There were no signs of forced entry at the home, suggesting the victims may have known their killer or killers. The motive, as authorities would later piece together, appeared to be robbery, with the possibility of a drug-related element. Friends and family of Michael Cantrell gathered near his home, watching in disbelief as law enforcement and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation processed the scene, their grief palpable in the cool evening air.
The search for those responsible did not last long. Within a day of the discovery of the bodies, investigators located and arrested two individuals at a Super 8 motel on Highway 29 in Newnan. The suspects were identified as 18-year-old Jarico Deshun Brown and his 26-year-old girlfriend, Kenya Nneaka Sewell. Authorities revealed that the suspects and victims were acquainted and that both Brown and Sewell had prior criminal records.
In February 2017, the legal proceedings came to a conclusion. Jarico Deshun Brown admitted to the killings, entering a blind plea to charges of murder. He confessed that his intention was to rob Cantrell and Watson. Brown was sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 15 years. He will not be eligible for parole until 2047. Kenya Sewell, who was initially charged with murder, ultimately pleaded guilty to lesser charges, including attempting to conceal a death and providing false statements to the police. It was stated that she was asleep during the shootings. Sewell received a sentence of ten years, with two years to be served in custody.
