A 41-year-old Caucasian woman, Jessica Lee Trentham Hilliard, was killed on January 14, 2024, in what authorities have described as a tragic incident of domestic violence. The Valdosta, Georgia, resident's life was cut short in a shooting that took place at an Econo Lodge on James Road.
On that Sunday afternoon, at approximately 2:00 pm, employees of the motel called 911 to report a dispute between a man and a woman. The caller informed dispatchers that a female was on the floor and bleeding from her head, and that the male involved had fled the scene. Valdosta Police Officers arrived to find Jessica Hilliard unresponsive on the floor with a gunshot wound to her head. Emergency Medical Services transported her to South Georgia Medical Center, where she was later pronounced deceased.
The suspect was quickly identified as Jessica's boyfriend, Robert Melvin Loge, a 56-year-old resident of Rockford, Tennessee. Both Hilliard and Loge were from the Rockford area. After obtaining a description of Loge, officers began a search of the area. A tip from a citizen led law enforcement to a nearby Days Inn on North St. Augustine Road. There, numerous officers and detectives found Loge hiding in a maintenance utility closet and took him into custody without incident.
During the arrest, detectives recovered a firearm and other evidence that connected Loge to the shooting. Following the investigation by detectives and crime scene personnel, Robert Melvin Loge was transported to the Lowndes County Jail. He has been charged with felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. The case is now expected to proceed through the judicial process.
