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Two Gang Members Convicted for Murder of Hazlehurst Teen

State v. Daimon Smith and Jermon Rountree

September 30, 2024

District Attorney Keith Higgins announces that on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, a Jeff Davis County jury found Daimon Smith, 20, and Jermon Rountree, 19, of Hazlehurst, Georgia, guilty of Felony Murder, two counts of Aggravated Assault, two counts of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, and five counts of Violation of Street Gang and Terrorism Prevention Act. The jury acquitted both defendants of one count of Violation of Street Gang and Terrorism Prevention Act.

The evidence presented at trial showed that the defendants were associated with a criminal street gang in Hazlehurst that refers to itself as Money Over Banging (MOB) and that MOB is a hybrid street gang that is mostly composed of Rollin’ 60’s Crips but has some members who are either Gangster Disciples or Bloods. On October 14, 2022, Malik McRae, 18, was at the residence of a friend with a group of other teenagers when Daimon Smith, Jermon Rountree, and other members of the street gang came to confront McRae’s friend about a social media post about one of their gang members that he had reposted on Snapchat.  After walking into the yard of the residence, Daimon Smith began arguing with McRae’s friend and another teen aged guest and demanded that they come into the street to fight. When Smith and the other gang members refused to leave, an occupant of the residence retrieved a gun from inside the house and began firing into the air. Having obtained a handgun from one of his fellow gang members, Smith then fired toward several teenagers who were running back to the residence. As he was running, McRae was shot and killed. Another teenager who was running with McRae was also shot.

According to District Attorney Keith Higgins, who prosecuted the case for the State, “Violent criminal street gangs are the greatest threat to the safety of everyone who lives, works, and raises a family in our community.  The District Attorney’s Office is committed to do everything we can to combat these gangs and hold their members fully responsible for the crimes they commit.”

Sentencing will be held on a future date that has not yet been determined. Daimon Smith and Jermon Rountree face a possible maximum punishment of up to life imprisonment without parole, plus an additional 90 years in prison.

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