October 28, 2026

The District Attorney’s Office for the Brunswick Judicial Circuit announces
the conviction of Robert Alan Herndon for three counts of Aggravated Child Molestation, one
count of Aggravated Sexual Battery, and one count of Incest in Glynn County Superior Court. The
case was prosecuted by Meghan Chitty and David Studdard.

On Wednesday, October 28, 2026, a Glynn County jury found 38-year-old Robert Alan Herndon
guilty of the Aggravated Child Molestation, Aggravated Sexual Battery, and Incest of his 12-yearold
daughter. Following the verdict, Judge Stephen D. Kelley sentenced Herndon to fifty years in
prison followed by life on probation on each count of Aggravated Child Molestation and
Aggravated Sexual Battery, and Judge Kelley also sentenced Herndon to fifty years in prison on
the count of Incest, all of which are to run concurrently. Given the aggravated nature of the charges,
Herndon will not be eligible for parole, and he will serve every day of the fifty-year prison
sentence.

Evidence presented at trial showed that Herndon repeatedly molested, sodomized, and digitally
penetrated his biological daughter from 2017 until 2020 at their residence in Glynn County. The
victim was only 12 years old when the abuse began.
The victim lived with her maternal grandparents for the first several years of her life because she
had no relationship with her father, Herndon, and her mother who struggled with drug addiction.
When the victim was around 10 years old, she began having a relationship with her father and
eventually moved in with him and his wife. Shortly thereafter, the abuse began.

The victim, now 22, testified that the abuse began with Herndon touching her genitals and
escalated into him penetrating her vagina with his fingers; penetrating her anus with his penis; and
forcing her to perform oral sex on him. If she resisted, Herndon would become physically violent.
The abuse occurred on a regular basis and continued until the victim was able to move out in 2020.
She did not report the crimes to law enforcement until June 4, 2024, due to concerns that she would
not be believed.
 
The State’s last witness at trial was a woman who had also been molested by Herndon several
years prior. The woman, now 33, testified that in 2008, Herndon (then-20-years-old) tried to touch
her vagina and forced her hand onto his erect penis. She was only 14 at the time.

The case was investigated by Deputy Sara Demonbraun with the Glynn County Sheriff’s Office.
The District Attorney’s Office is grateful to Sheriff’s Deputy Demonbraun and District Attorney’s
Investigator Stephen Ryals for their tremendous work in the case, and the District Attorney’s
Office is also grateful to the prior victim who was willing to come to court and testify after so
many years.

October 15, 2026

October 15, 2026.  Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney, Keith Higgins, announces the   guilty verdict of John Thomas Howard for Malice Murder and Felony murder.  The case was tried before a Glynn County jury, with the Honorable Judge Roger B. Lane presiding. Senior Assistant District Attorney Keagan Waystack and Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney David Studard tried the case for the State.     

During the three-day trial the State presented evidence that the Defendant, John Thomas Howard, attacked Mr. Ronald Carswell outside of Mr. Carswell’s home near the intersection of Tillman Street and Gloucester Street in Brunswick. The jury heard testimony that Howard beat and stabbed Mr. Carswell.        

 The State presented photographic and video evidence along with witness testimony and forensic evidence. The jury heard testimony that Howard made attempts to flee the state of Georgia in the hours following the murder.

Mr. Howard was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

After the verdict, Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney David Studdard said, “this type of lawlessness and senseless violence will not be tolerated, and this jury’s verdict should send clear message that the Glynn County District Attorney’s office, along with our law enforcement partners, will relentlessly pursue those who commit these types of crimes in our community.”

 The District Attorney’s Office would like to thank the Brunswick Police Department, especially Det. Melissa Howell for her tremendous work on this case.

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

June 2, 2026

The District Attorney’s Office for the Brunswick Judicial Circuit today announced the conviction of Angel Alvarez for Rape and Cruelty to Children in the First Degree in Camden County Superior Court.  After a one-day trial, the jury returned its guilty verdicts, and Judge Steven G. Blackerby sentenced Alvarez to serve 25 years in prison, to be followed by the rest of his life on probation. District Attorney Keith Higgins tried the case for the State.

At trial, the evidence showed that Alvarez began sexually abusing the victim when she was only 9 years old, and he continued to sexually abuse her until she was 16. After Alvarez began a relationship with the victim’s mother, who was living in the State of Florida, he began sexually abusing the victim. Thereafter, he moved in to live with the victim’s mother, and he continued to sexually abuse the victim while he was living with her and her family in the State of Florida and several other states where he moved with the family. In June 2022, the family moved to St. Marys, Georgia. Within a few weeks after they moved to St. Marys, Alvarez committed the crimes for which he was convicted. The victim was only 16 years old at that time.  

After the verdicts, District Attorney Keith Higgins stated that “sex crimes are committed when the only witnesses are the victim and the perpetrator. It is important for the victims of these crimes to come forward and report it so the crimes can be investigated and prosecuted. It is also important for the victims to know they will be believed.”

District Attorney Keith Higgins thanks Assistant St. Marys City Manager Charlie Williams for his investigation of this case when he was a detective with the St. Marys Police Department and for his assistance during the trial.

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

May 13, 2026

District Attorney, Keith Higgins announces that on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, James Lee Roberts, 53, of Brunswick, Georgia and Sheldon Tarence Wright, 35, were found guilty of Malice Murder, Felony Murder, and Aggravated Assault in the 2024 shooting death of Bobby Leon Harris,  35, of Brunswick, Georgia. Roberts and Wright were then sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole by the Hon. Judge Anthony Harrison. The prosecution team of Keagan Waystack and Elizabeth Presley tried the case.

The evidence presented at trial showed that on October 12, 2024, the Defendants’ laid in wait in the dark for Bobby Harris to walk home from the store.  When he passed them Sheldon Wright began shooting and hit Bobby Harris three times.  Once in the back of both knees and once in the back of the chest, killing Mr. Harris. The State presented photographic and video evidence showing the Defendants’ before, during and after the crime.

James Roberts believed that Bobby Harris had been responsible for his being shot six months prior and brought Sheldon Wright to Brunswick to help carry out street justice by killing Mr. Harris.

The District Attorney’s Office would like to thank Glynn County Police Department, especially Det. Troy Bergiadis for his tremendous work on this case.

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

January 12, 2026

District Attorney Keith Higgins announces the guilty plea and sentence of Daquarius Wallace, age 18, of Brunswick, Georgia for one count of Murder in the Second Degree. On January 12, Wallace pleaded guilty in Glynn County Superior Court and was sentenced by Judge Stephen G. Scarlett, Sr. to a total of 30 years, with 15 to serve in prison followed by 15 on probation. The prosecution team of Keagan Waystack and Richard Braun took the plea before the Court.

On August 30, 2025, Dazariah Easton along with some of her friends went to hang out with Daquarius Wallace at one of his relatives’ homes.  Daquarius Wallace began playing with his cousin’s loaded firearms.  While playing with one of the firearms, he spun around and pointed it in the direction of others in the room.  He pulled the trigger of the firearm and without meaning to, hit the victim in the neck.  Daquarius Wallace ran from the scene. Others who were present at the scene remained, attempted to render aid, and called 911.  Fourteen-year-old Dazariah Easton succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead at the hospital.  Mr. Wallace later returned to the scene claiming that the shooting was accidental and that the gun had malfunctioned.  The GBI Crime Lab, however, performed further testing on the gun and determined it was operating correctly.

Unfortunately, playing with a gun will have a life-long consequence for both families.  Daquarius Wallace will have to live the rest of his life knowing that he took the life of an innocent fourteen year old girl.  The family of Dazariah Easton will have to live the rest of their lives with a missing piece of their heart, with every celebration in life cast with a shadow of sadness that she will not be there to celebrate with them.

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

February 13, 2026

The Georgia Supreme Court today denied the discretionary application for appeal from a man charged with the murder of a Glynn County child in 2007.

George Edenfield, along with his mother and father, was charged with the sodomy and murder of six-year-old Christopher Barrios on March 8, 2007.  He was later found incompetent to stand trial and was committed to a state mental hospital.

Over the course of the past several years, Edenfield has repeatedly attempted to have the conditions of his commitment changed so as to allow him to leave the facility under supervision.  Each of these attempts has been denied.

In its unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court dismissed Edenfield’s most recent application for appeal on the grounds that Edenfield stated no basis for a discretionary appeal and that he “represents that he has also filed a notice of appeal” from the Glynn County Superior Court, calling his discretionary application “duplicative.”

Edenfield’s murder case remains open pending a finding of competence to stand trial.

This matter was handled by Assistant District Attorney William Cubbedge, Senior Appellate Counsel. 

December 11, 2026

District Attorney Keith Higgins announces the guilty plea of Victor Hernandez for one count(s) of False Imprisonment. Before a jury trial began, Victor Hernandez pled guilty and was sentenced according to the terms of a plea agreement. Hernandez pled guilty in Glynn County Superior Court and was sentenced to 5 years on probation and a $1,000 fine. Hernandez will be deported due to an ICE detainer hold and is banished from the Brunswick Judicial Circuit, which includes Glynn, Camden, Appling, Jeff Davis and Wayne Counties. Judge Roger Lane accepted the guilty plea. The prosecution team of Assistant District Attorneys James Abely and Richard Braun took the plea before the Court. 

On April 16, 2025, the defendant, then 20 years old, attempted to falsely imprison a 12-year-old female victim in an attempt to fondle her. The identity of the victim is being withheld due to the victim’s age. The Brunswick Police Department investigated the case. Attorney Abely stated, “children must be protected at costs, and we will prosecute predators.”

The District Attorney’s Office would like to thank Brunswick Police Department, especially Det. Elizabeth Holt for her tremendous work on this case.

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