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Supreme court upholds conviction in 2017 murder case
crime case 6-11
Kelly Marshall was killed in 2017. Her boyfriend, James Hill, was found guilty of the murder and sentenced to life in prison in 2019. Hills' conviction was upheld by the Supreme Court on Tuesday. - photo by Contributed Photo

ATLANTA – A Newton County man saw his life sentence upheld in court Tuesday morning.

On June 11, the Newton County District Attorney’s (DA) office announced that the Supreme Court of Georgia upheld the life sentence of convicted murderer James Hill.

This affirmation comes almost five years after Hill was found guilty of killing his girlfriend Kelly Marshall on July 18, 2019.

On Aug. 12, 2017, Marshall was found deceased under the bridge on Mt. Tabor Road next to the Yellow River in Newton County. According to the DA’s office, Marshall was found “strangled to death and beaten.”

Hill was then taken into questioning where he “lied” about his whereabouts at the time of the murder. It was also indicated to jury members that Hill had a violent tendency toward Marshall.

During his 2024 appeal, Hill argued that the evidence presented was “insufficient” to convict him. Hill also cited issues with his trial counsel as well as jurors. He requested that a mistrial be granted.

The Supreme Court rejected those claims and promptly upheld the conviction and subsequent life sentence.

Handling the appeal in this case was chief assistant district attorney Amber Dally.


Newton County jury finds Covington man guilty of felony murder
Shane Robinson
Shane Robinson - photo by Courtesy of the Newton County Sheriff's Office

NEWTON COUNTY – On Monday afternoon, 30-year-old Shane Alexander Robinson of Covington was found guilty of killing Charles Edward Stanley III over three years ago.

The Newton County District Attorney’s Office released that a jury deemed that Robinson was guilty on three charges: Felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

On March 5, 2022, sometime between 11 p.m. and midnight, Robinson shot an AR-style firearm at a vehicle that Stanley was driving along Harvey Wood Drive. According to the District Attorney’s release, Robinson fired the weapon 13 times into the vehicle, killing Stanley.

According to a previous report by The Covington News, an arrest warrant stated that Robinson “grabbed his AR-15 (rifle) and drove” from his home to Harvey Wood Drive to “scare” Stanley.

“When Charles was backing up, Shane admitted to firing several rounds at the vehicle,” the 2022 warrant stated. “Furthermore, Shane also initially stated that he fired rounds at the vehicle as it was driving away.”

Robinson initially faced charges of murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, unauthorized discharge of firearms within 50 yards of the public highway, and reckless conduct. It is not clear if some of these charges were dismissed.

Sentencing is set for a later date, which has not been announced. A co-defendant’s case is still pending.