In the quiet community of Baxley, Georgia, a day in late autumn was shattered by an act of violence that claimed the life of a 72-year-old man. On the afternoon of November 19, 2023, law enforcement officers were dispatched to a residence at 1196 Henry Griffin Road in Appling County following a report of a shooting. Upon their arrival at approximately 1:14 p.m., they discovered Jonathan Terry Hayes, a White male, deceased from a gunshot wound.
The investigation into the death of Hayes, a
former security guard at the Georgia National Fairgrounds, quickly led to a person of interest. A short distance from the scene of the shooting, authorities took 37-year-old Steven Lee, a resident of Baxley, into custody. The Appling County Sheriff's Office subsequently charged Lee in connection with the incident.
Following his arrest, Steven Lee faced multiple serious charges, including murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. The community, including Hayes's former colleagues at the fairgrounds, expressed their sorrow over the sudden and tragic loss of a man they remembered fondly. The case against Lee is now proceeding through the criminal justice system.
