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Supreme Court upholds conviction in 2019 murder
Crime - LOCAL
Evan Newton
Updated: Oct 8, 2024, 7:12 PM
Published: Oct 8, 2024, 7:11 PM

NEWTON COUNTY – Last week the Georgia Supreme Court upheld a murder conviction and subsequent life sentence against Darnell Depriest.

Depriest was charged with the murder of his cousin and friend Ivan Lovejoy Williams in Oct. 2019. He was found guilty by a Newton County jury on charges including murder in Sept. 2021 and was sentenced to life in prison.

During his appeal, Depriest argued that the evidence brought against him “was inefficient to support the conviction,” according to a news release from the Newton County District Attorney’s Office, and that his trial attorney provided “ineffective assistance.” He also claimed the trial court failed “to properly instruct the jury on the law.”

The Supreme Court disagreed, stating the evidence was sufficient for Depriest’s conviction. 

The case and subsequent appeals were handled by chief assistant district attorney Amber Dally, assistant district attorney Briana Harges, investigator Colin Cunningham, victim advocate Gabby Arredondo and senior legal assistant Cindi Hendrix.
Newton County jury finds Covington man guilty of felony murder
Shane Robinson
Shane Robinson - photo by Courtesy of the Newton County Sheriff's Office
Kate Verity
Published: Mar 31, 2025, 9:15 PM

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.