In the spring of 2014, a visit to Wild Horse Creek Park in Powder Springs, Georgia, ended in a tragic loss of life for two young men. On the evening of March 16th, the serene atmosphere of the park was shattered by the sound of gunshots, prompting a neighbor to alert the authorities. Responding officers from the Cobb County Police Department made a grim discovery within the park grounds; the bodies of 23-year-old Terrance Banks and 21-year-old Sterling Hargrave. Both men had been fatally shot.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly led to a suspect, a 14-year-old boy named Jaydon Lee Reid. Evidence suggested that Reid was in the backseat of a vehicle with Banks and Hargrave when he shot them in what was believed to be a robbery connected to a drug dispute. Police apprehended Reid as he was leaving the area, finding him in possession of a 9mm handgun and a bag of marijuana. Further strengthening the case against him, the victims' DNA was found on his clothing, and ballistic testing confirmed the handgun he was carrying was the weapon used in the killings. Reid, who had a documented history with a local gang known as the 'Ham Squad,' had been seen with Banks and Hargrave in the days leading up to the shooting.
Due to the severity of the crime, the decision was made to charge Jaydon Lee Reid as an adult. He was initially taken to the Marietta Regional Youth Detention Center and faced charges of felony murder and aggravated assault. In 2016, at the age of 17, Reid pleaded guilty to two counts of Malice Murder and two counts of Violation of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. During the legal proceedings, his defense attorney argued that Reid had fallen in with the wrong crowd, to which the judge retorted, 'At some point, you became the wrong crowd.' The court sentenced Reid to two life sentences plus an additional 15 years. He will not be eligible for parole until he has served a minimum of 30 years in prison.
