In the late hours of September 12, 2023, in Hinesville, Georgia, a series of events unfolded that would end a young man's life. That evening, around 10 p.m., a call was made to 911 reporting the sound of gunshots near the local Walmart, though the connection to what happened next was not immediately clear. It wasn't until approximately 1 a.m. on what was then the early morning of September 13th that the tragic outcome of that night began to surface. A truck driver making a delivery to the Walmart noticed a man under a tree in the rear loading dock area and, concerned, placed a call for help.
When officers from the Hinesville Police Department arrived at the scene, a wooded area behind the Liberty Woods Apartments near the Walmart, they found 20-year-old Jaylin Ferrell of Bloomingdale. He was unresponsive, having been shot multiple times. Emergency medical services and members of the Hinesville fire department were also present, but Ferrell was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators with the Hinesville Police Department quickly determined that the shooting did not appear to be a random act and began the work of piecing together the events that led to the young Black / African American man's death.
The investigation led to the identification of three suspects. On September 29, 2023, the Hinesville Police Department announced the arrests of two brothers, 18-year-old Jaquaves Jaquez Pittman and 19-year-old Jalijah Da'quon Pittman. They were taken into custody and charged with murder, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. A magistrate judge denied bond for both, and they were held in the Liberty County Jail. At the time of their arrest, a third suspect, 18-year-old Serenity Marie Hagan, was still at large.
The search for the final suspect concluded nearly a month later. On October 23, 2023, Serenity Marie Hagan was apprehended in Memphis, Tennessee, by the United States Marshal Service. Hagan was held in Memphis awaiting an extradition hearing to face charges in connection with Ferrell's death. With all three suspects in custody, the investigation continued, with authorities noting that additional charges could be possible.
