A quiet Saturday morning in Pierce County, Georgia, was shattered by violence on October 25, 2025, leading to the death of 64-year-old Virgil Lester Chaney, a lifelong resident of the area. The male victim was at his home in the St. Johns Community with his son, Christopher Levi Chaney, when the tragic events unfolded.
That morning, the Pierce County 911 dispatch received a call at 10:02 a.m. regarding a shooting. When deputies arrived at the residence off Georgia Highway 121 South, they discovered both Virgil and his 37-year-old son, Christopher, deceased from what appeared to be gunshot wounds. The scene was described by the chief investigator as one of the worst he had ever witnessed. Both men were remembered by family as good men with good hearts who would do anything to help someone in need. Virgil Chaney was a retired boilermaker and the former owner and operator of Chaney's Sewing Center.
The investigation quickly pointed to a suspect, and at 11:19 a.m., just over an hour after the initial 911 call, law enforcement arrested 30-year-old Avery James Courson of Blackshear without incident at a nearby Circle K. The family of the victims stated that they did not know the suspect. Authorities have not publicly disclosed a motive for the killings.
Courson was subsequently charged with two counts of murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. He was denied bond and remains in the Pierce County Jail. It was later revealed that Courson had a history of drug addiction and previous encounters with law enforcement. In March 2026, a Pierce County grand jury indicted Courson on charges of felony murder, malice murder, three counts of aggravated assault, and one count of possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime. Court documents from the indictment alleged that Courson shot both Virgil and Christopher Chaney in the head with a 12-gauge shotgun. It was also alleged that he pointed the weapon at a woman in the home but did not fire at her. As of early March 2026, Avery James Courson was awaiting trial.
