John Anthony Lowden Jr., a 38-year-old male, found his life tragically cut short on February 28, 2024, in Augusta, Georgia. In the early morning hours, at approximately 2:24 a.m., the Richmond County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of shots fired in the 2800 block of Washington Road. Upon their arrival, deputies discovered Lowden in the eastbound right lane, having sustained a gunshot wound.
The county coroner pronounced him dead at the scene a little after 3:00 a.m.
Lowden was a retired U.S. Army veteran who had a distinguished military career as a special forces weapons sergeant, serving six tours of duty in Afghanistan and retiring with the rank of sergeant first class. His life was also marked by a connection to a nationally recognized true crime story; he had appeared in the Netflix documentary series 'Killer Sally,' which detailed the case of his mother, Sally McNeil, who was convicted of murdering her second husband. In the time leading up to his death, some reports indicated that Lowden was experiencing personal challenges, including homelessness and struggles with his mental health.
The investigation into Lowden's death quickly identified a suspect. Authorities began searching for 32-year-old Robert Ward of Augusta, who was known to frequent hotels in the area where Lowden's body was discovered. The United States Marshal's Southeastern Task Force, with assistance from the Aiken County Sheriff's Office, located and apprehended Ward in Beech Island, South Carolina. Following his arrest, Ward was awaiting extradition back to Richmond County to face charges of murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime in connection with the shooting death of John Anthony Lowden Jr.
