In October of 2013, a promising life was tragically cut short in what was determined by law enforcement to be a murder-suicide. Jessica Schanae Nowell, a 24-year-old female, was discovered deceased in her Savannah, Georgia, home on West Montgomery Crossroad on the evening of October 22nd. An Athens native and a 2008 graduate of Clarke Central High School, Nowell was known for her vivacious and determined personality.
Earlier that same day, about five miles from where Nowell's body was
found, authorities responded to a report of a man with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. This man was later identified as 24-year-old Justin Baldwin. Baldwin was transported to a local medical center where he succumbed to his injuries two days later. Investigators with the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department were able to connect the two incidents.
The investigation revealed that Nowell and Baldwin had been in a relationship and had previously lived together. Authorities concluded that Baldwin shot and killed Nowell in her bed at their former shared residence. After fatally wounding Nowell, Baldwin drove to a relative's house on North Parkwood Drive where he then shot himself. The motive for the murder-suicide was not publicly released by the authorities.
Jessica Nowell was not only a recent graduate of Savannah State University, having received her degree on May 4, 2013, but she had also embarked on a path of service. While attending college, she joined the U.S. Air Force Reserve. In her service, she held the rank of Airman 1st Class with the Security Forces Unit at Dobbins Air Force Base in Marietta. Her funeral services were held on Saturday, October 26, 2013, at Timothy Baptist Church, and she was laid to rest at Evergreen Memorial Park Cemetery.
