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.
