In the summer of 2023, the life of 16-year-old Jamarious Deante Smith was tragically cut short in a case that would lead to the arrest of three other teenagers. A male with autism, Jamarious was at his Hampton, Georgia, home on June 29 when a group of individuals he considered to be his friends arrived at his front door. Despite his mother's disapproval of these acquaintances and her request for him to ask them to leave, Jamarious left with them. This would be the last time his mother saw him alive.
Later that day, Jamarious's body was discovered in the nearby Lovejoy Park in Clayton County. He had been shot multiple times, with wounds to his neck, head, and arm. His mother recalled the heartbreaking moment when police knocked on her door at 12:30 a.m. the following day to deliver the devastating news. She shared that her son was looking forward to becoming a father for the first time.
The investigation into the homicide led to the identification and eventual arrest of three suspects. The first, 18-year-old Kwame McGinty, was taken into custody on June 30, 2023, and charged with murder. A second suspect, 17-year-old Alex Hampton, was arrested on October 30, 2023, also facing a murder charge.
The third and final suspect, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, was identified as Oliver Choyce. After a manhunt that involved the Clayton County Police Department and the Fugitive Squad, Choyce surrendered to authorities on March 25, 2024. He faces charges of felony murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. Following Choyce's arrest, the Clayton County Sheriff informed Jamarious's mother that all three suspects were in custody.
