The man charged in the death of a Statesboro woman took a plea deal on Friday, putting a bookend on a long list of family violence offenses.
36-year-old Alonzo Stewart was arrested in September 2022 by the Statesboro Police Department for the May 2022 murder of 31-year-old Keturah Lee Mobley. SPD officers found Mobley deceased after a 911 call from Stewart. She suffered a blunt force trauma to the head and was strangled. Authorities investigated her death as a homicide, but awaited crime lab and medical testing results before making any arrests.
Detectives received those results from the GBI lab on August 31 and charged Stewart the following day. He was already in the Bulloch County Jail for felony drug charges stemming from a search of the home following Mobley’s death, but authorities added Murder and Aggravated Assault charges to the list of offenses.
A grand jury indicted Stewart in November 2022 on 2 counts of Malice Murder, 2 counts of Felony Murder, 2 counts of Aggravated Assault (Family Violence), one county of Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute, one count of Possession of Cocaine, one count of Cruelty to Children (2nd degree), and one count of Cruelty to Children (3rd degree).
The Cruelty to Children charges stemmed from Stewart’s abandonment of Mobley’s infant daughter after killing her.
But the charges for the death of Mobley were anything but Stewart’s first go around with the law. In fact, prosecutors in the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit had a pattern of giving Stewart a mere slap on the wrist and he was on probation at the time he killed Mobley.
Criminal History
May 9, 2022 – Criminal Trespass
Stewart intentionally damaged a window and broke the glass on the property of Jasmine Mobley on January 15, 2022. The damage totaled less than $500.00, which prompted the offense to be charged as a misdemeanor and handled in State Court.
Stewart entered a Guilty Plea, served 11 days in jail, and was sentenced to 12 months probation.
Jan. 8, 2021 – Battery (Family Violence) + Cruelty to Children (3rd Degree)
This case was initially charged as a misdemeanor and elevated to a felony indictment shortly after his arrest.
According to the indictment, Stewart hit Keturah Mobley in the face, causing her to bleed from her mouth and nose, leaving a black eye, a laceration under her eye, a lump on her forehead, and multiple bruises. The incident occurred in the presence of Mobley’s minor child.
Aside from the indictment from the grand jury and the arraignment, no further action was taken on the case. After Mobley’s death, when Stewart was arrested for felony drug possession, a motion was filed by the DA’s office to revoke his bond in this case.
April 28, 2018 – Battery (Family Violence) + Giving False Name to Law Enforcement
A grand jury indicted Stewart for hitting Keturah Mobley in the face, causing multiple lacerations and bruises on her face, and giving a false name to law enforcement when they arrived to take a report.
Stewart entered a guilty plea and was ordered to:
- serve 5 years on probation,
- complete 100 hours of community service,
- pay a $1,000 fine.
- Serve 150/180 days in a PDC, but that was suspended so long as he was compliant with the terms of his probation.
- complete a Family Violence Intervention program
- complete a substance abuse program
At the time of his plea, Stewart was at just shy of 30 days in jail and was given credit for time served.
Stewart was under probation supervision for this sentenced when Mobley was killed. It was revoked on August 24, 2022.
2007 – Battery (Family Violence) & Drug Offenses
Stewart entered guilty pleas on these charges in 2007. The court sentenced him to a period of five years on probation with all confinement time suspended. The victim was a woman other than Mobley.
The clerk’s office also showed records of:
- guilty pleas for DUI, Open Container & Driving w/out a License from July 2020;
- a nolo Contendere plea for DUI for a 2017 arrest;
- a Nolo Contendere plea for Obstruction of Law Enforcement in 2017. The charge began as Giving False Name to Law Enforcement, but was later reduced. Stewart was placed on probation, which was ultimately revoked.
Plea & Sentence
Stewart took a plea deal and agreed to enter a guilty plea on a reduced charge. While he would have served Life in Prison for a murder charge, he was given a lesser sentence for the lesser offense.
The charges were adjudicated as follows:
Malice Murder – Amended to Voluntary Manslaughter – Guilty Plea
Felony Murder – nolle prossed
Aggravated Assault – nolle prossed
Possession of Marijuana – Guilty Plea
Possession of Cocaine – nolle prossed
Cruelty to Children (2nd) – Guilty Plea
Cruelty to Children (3rd) – nolle prossed
Judge Ronald Thompson sentenced Stewart to twenty years for the Voluntary Manslaughter charge, the maximum, with an additional ten years to be served consecutively for the Marijuana Possession charge. Upon his release, Stewart will serve ten years on probation. Stewart was also given credit for time served dating back to September 1, 2022.
