In the early morning hours of December 22, 2017, a Christmas party for Zaxby's employees in Columbus, Mississippi, took a tragic turn, ending in the death of 27-year-old Michael Garth. The male victim was found with gunshot wounds outside the Motel 6 on Highway 45 shortly after midnight and died at the scene. His body was later sent to Pearl for an autopsy.
Witnesses at the party reported that another attendee, Johnathan Lee Majors II, had been aggressive and was 'picking at Michael all night.' The tension between the two men escalated and moved into the motel parking lot, where a physical altercation ensued. During the fight, Majors shot Garth. Following the shooting, police identified Majors as a person of interest and began a search.
Majors was apprehended 18 days later, on January 9, 2018, in an abandoned house in Columbus where it appeared he had been sleeping. He was subsequently charged with murder, and a judge denied him bond. In May 2018, a grand jury indicted Majors on a first-degree murder charge.
Nearly two years after the shooting, in November 2019, Johnathan Majors II pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He was sentenced to 40 years in the Mississippi Department of Corrections, with 20 years suspended. He will serve the 20 years without the possibility of early release or parole. The plea agreement was reached with the consent of Garth's family, who expressed a desire for a resolution that did not involve a life sentence for Majors.
