In the early evening of Saturday, March 16, 2024, tragedy struck in Vidalia, Georgia, when 23-year-old Justin Godfrey of Soperton was fatally shot. The incident unfolded around 5:02 p.m. near the intersection of East Jenkins Street and Epstein Street. When Vidalia Police Department officers arrived at the scene, they discovered that Godfrey and another individual, 18-year-old Iesha Wicker, also from Soperton, had both sustained gunshot wounds. They were transported to Memorial Health Meadows Hospital by private vehicle, but both succumbed to their injuries. It was later confirmed that Wicker was pregnant at the time of her death. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in to assist the Vidalia Police Department in the double homicide investigation.
The investigation into the shooting led to a series of arrests over the following weeks. On March 20, authorities took three individuals into custody: 23-year-old Jaquan Quashon Jerome Jordan of Mount Vernon, 18-year-old Patrick Cornelius Hunt, also of Mount Vernon, and 16-year-old Kison Latrell King of McRae. Jordan and Hunt faced numerous charges, including two counts of malice murder, feticide, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and aggravated assault. Jordan was also charged with being a party to a crime, and both he and Hunt were charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. King was charged with two counts of felony murder and five counts of aggravated assault.
As the investigation continued, two more suspects were apprehended on April 13. Michael Anthony, Jr., 19, of Lyons, and Fitzroy Anthony Ellis, 18, of Vidalia, were arrested and charged with two counts of felony murder and five counts of aggravated assault in connection with the deaths of Godfrey and Wicker. This brought the total number of individuals arrested in the case to five. In June 2024, a Toombs County Grand Jury indicted all five men on multiple charges, including malice murder, feticide, felony murder, and aggravated assault. Hunt and Jordan also faced an additional charge for possession of a firearm by a first offender probationer.
The legal process moved forward, and in February 2025, Patrick Cornelius Hunt was found guilty by a jury on charges of murder, feticide, and aggravated assault for his role in the triple homicide. His sentencing was scheduled for a later date. The District Attorney expressed hope that the verdict would bring some measure of closure to the families of Justin Godfrey and Iesha Wicker.
