07 February 2022

District Attorney Keith Higgins announces that Ethan Bell Bennett, 20, of Brunswick, was convicted of Malice Murder, Felony Murder (2 counts), Aggravated Assault, Possession of a Firearm by a First Offender Probationer, Possession of a Firearm During Commission of a Felony and Simple Battery, following a jury trial which concluded on February 3, 2022.

The charges stem from the July 22, 2019, death of Antonio Randolph (35), who was shot multiple times
in front of his mother’s home in the Arco area of Brunswick.

The investigation, led by Sgt. Sheila Ramos of the Glynn County Police Department, revealed that Antonio Randolph had struggled for years with drug addiction. Randolph had become involved with Jennifer Bell Ahnberg, 40, the mother of Ethan Bennett and his brother, Everett Bennett. Ahnberg also battled addiction, and witness statements and text messages showed that both Ethan Bennett and his brother Everett blamed Randolph for her addiction and intended to do him harm. The investigation showed that Randolph was shot 4 times from behind, and that Ethan Bennett confessed to a witness that he, Everett Bennett, Travis Kates and another individual confronted and shot Randolph.

The trial, presided over by Superior Court Judge Stephen G. Scarlett, Sr., began on January 31, 2022 in Glynn County Superior Court, and members of the jury returned their guilty verdicts on all counts on February 3, 2022.

According to Deputy Assistant District Attorney Nigel Lush, who prosecuted the case on behalf of the State, “Full credit for the conviction goes to the Glynn County Police Department for their exhaustive investigative efforts in this case. The investigation and subsequent trial were difficult due to the reluctance of many witnesses to cooperate.”

Sentencing in this case is scheduled for a later date. Ethan Bennett faces a mandatory life sentence for
the murder convictions. The trials of co-defendants Everett Bennett and Travis Kates are scheduled for
February 28, 2022.

Members of the media with further questions may contact the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District
Attorney’s Office at 912-554-7200.

01 February 2022

BRUNSWICK, Ga — District Attorney Keith Higgins announces that Gerald Jermain Wright, 43, of
Waycross, was convicted on January 26, 2022, of Party to the Crime of Malice Murder (one count) and
Party to the Crime of Felony Murder (two counts), following a three day jury trial.

The charges stem from the May 15, 2014 deaths of Javonnie Mondrea Chambers, 35, and his mother,
Mary Lee Chambers, 64, who were shot to death in their home in Hazlehurst, GA. Eyewitness testimony
at the time revealed that two individuals shot the victims, and another individual drove the vehicle, a
silver Dodge Charger, from which they fled the scene. Also present in the home at the time of the shooting was Mary Lee Chambers’ granddaughter and two minor children, ages 2 and 4.

The case was investigated by both the Hazlehurst Police Department and the Georgia Bureau of
Investigation (GBI). In late 2017, GBI Agent Jason Nipper was assigned the case. Following countless leads and witness interviews, Agent Nipper discovered evidence that Wright, along with two co-
defendants, Robert Benjamin Brown, then 30, and Brandon Dante Hardaman, then 26, both of Jacksonville, FL, travelled to Jeff Davis County on May 15, 2014 in a silver Dodge Charger just prior to the
murders. Wright also drove two co-defendants from the scene following the shootings, wherein Mondrea Chambers was shot with a 9mm semi-automatic pistol and his mother, Mary Lee, was killed by a .308 rifle round after the home was sprayed with .308 rounds by one of the co-defendants.

The trial, presided over by Superior Court Judge Roger B. Lane, began on January 24, 2022. Members of the Jeff Davis County jury quickly returned their guilty verdicts on all three counts. Chief Assistant District Attorney Ian Heap, who prosecuted the case on behalf of the State, praised the jury for their verdict.

“This was a very difficult case and we are grateful that justice was done.” Judge Lane sentenced Wright to Life without Parole for one count of Party to the Crime of Malice Murder for the death of Mondrea Chambers.

Wright was also found guilty of one count of Party to the Crime of Felony Murder for the death of Mary Lee Chambers, and sentenced to Life without Parole to run consecutively with the Life sentence on the Malice Murder charge. Wright was also found guilty of Party to the Crime of Felony Murder for the death of Mondrea Chambers; however, he did not receive a sentence for that crime as he was already sentenced in the Malice Murder charge for the death of Mondrea Chambers.

The two co-defendants are expected to be on a trial calendar set for the week of May 9th.

Members of the media with further questions may contact the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District
Attorney’s Office at 912-554-7200.

11 November 2021

BRUNSWICK, Ga. – District Attorney Keith Higgins announces that Louie Curry, 57, of Jesup, was convicted on November 3, 2021, of child molestation and sexual assault against a child under the age of  16, following a two-day jury trial.  

The charges stem from an incident that occurred in late March 2020, when Curry, then in a relationship with the victim’s mother, touched the 12-year old victim’s private parts with his hand. Curry, the victim’s mother and other children all lived in the same home at the time. The child made an outcry to her older sister, who told their mother. Their mother then reported the incident to the police. It was further alleged that Curry had previously committed acts of this nature against this same child victim, as well as the victim’s cousin, when the victims were 9 and 11-years old, respectively; however, the jury did not convict Curry on those acts. 

The trial, presided over by Superior Court Judge Anthony Harrison, took place over 2 days. “With the collaboration of the expert forensic interviewers from Safe Harbor Children’s Advocacy Center in Jesup and The Teal House Children’s Advocacy Center in Statesboro, as well as the victims’ family, we were able to present a compelling case to the jury,” said Assistant District Attorney Seterria Brodnex, who prosecuted the case on behalf of the State. “Curry took advantage of the access and opportunities he  had in their shared home to touch this child inappropriately. Without this child’s bravery in finally coming forward and telling her sister what the defendant had been doing to her, it may have never stopped. It is our hope that no child ever has to go through this type of ordeal at the hands of this  defendant again.” 

Members of the Wayne County jury deliberated earnestly for over 3 hours before reaching guilty verdicts on two of the six counts in the indictment. Judge Anthony Harrison sentenced Curry immediately following the jury’s verdict to a 20-year sentence with the first 8-years to serve in confinement. Curry will serve the balance of that sentence on probation, subject to all sex offender conditions, and he will be required to register as a sex offender. 

Members of the media with further questions may contact the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District  Attorney’s Office at 912-554-7200.