A woman running for Tax Commissioner in Jenkins County has been indicted by a grand jury.
Court records show a Jenkins County Grand Jury indicted Shenice Vondrea Thompson on eleven felony counts, including Malice Murder and Felony Murder.
The charges stem from an incident on March 24 in Millen. According to a Georgia Bureau of Investigation press release, officers with the Millen Police Department responded to the Annie P. Chance Veterans Center in reference to a shooting around 1:45 a.m. on March 24, 2024. Officers found Tyrell Brown, 28, and Maxine Jones, 48, dead at the scene and requested assistance from the GBI.
Police saw that Brown had been shot, but initially did not see any immediate signs of trauma on Jones. An autopsy later revealed that both individuals died from gunshot wounds.
A week later, on March 31, 2024, 28-year-old Raheem Montrell Whitfield of Waynesboro was charged with Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault, and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime.
The grand jury convened in Jenkins county on June 10 and subsequently formally indicted Whitfield on eight counts, along with Thompson on eleven counts. The two were charged individually and as parties concerned in the commission of a crime.
- Malice Murder – shooting Tyrell Brown with a firearm
- Felony Murder – causing the death of Tyrell Brown while in the commission of the offense of Aggravated Assault
- Aggravated Assault – making an assault on Tyrell Brown with a deadly weapon
- Possession of a Firearm During Commission of a Felony
- Malice Murder – shooting Maxine Jones with a firearm
- Felony Murder – causing the death of Maxine Jones while in the commission of the offense of Aggravated Assault
- Aggravated Assault – making an assault on Maxine Jones with a deadly weapon
- Possession of a Firearm During Commission of a Felony
- Making a False Statement – Thompson allegedly made a false statement to a GBI agent during the homicide investigation in what she told the agent she was at her mother’s house at the time of the shooting.
- Hindering Apprehension or Punishment of a Criminal – Thompson alleged unlawfully harbored Whitfield, a person she knew or had reasonable grounds to believe had committed aggravated assault, with the intent to hinder the apprehension.
- Tampering with Evidence – Thompson allegedly concealed physical evidence (a gun) involving the prosecution of the offense of murder to obstruct the prosecution of Whitfield.
Whitfield has been behind bars since his arrest in March. A grand jury bench warrant was issued for Thompson following the indictment. She has yet to be located by authorities..
The case has been assigned to Superior Court Judge Gates Peed.
Thompson is running as a Democrat against incumbent Tina Burke.
