A Fayette County jury convicted Jacobean Brown of Marion Boulevard, Fayetteville, Ga., of felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony on July 12, 2024 after a week-long trial.
Brown, 18 at the time of his arrest last year, was charged with firing a fatal gunshot to the head of Madison Gesswein, 15, while she lay on her bed in the basement apartment.
Also arrested at the same time were Justus Smith and Yeshua Mathis, both 18 at the time, all with Fayetteville addresses. There was no statement concerning the other two defendants.
At trial, the evidence showed that on February 20, 2023, the victim, a 15-year old Whitewater High School student, got into an argument through text messaging with Jacobean Brown and his two co-defendants.
After arguing with the victim, Brown and his accomplices took a loaded 9 mm pistol with an extended magazine and cleaning supplies to the victim’s ground floor apartment bedroom.
As the victim lay on her bed with her cell phone, Jacobean Brown snuck in through the bedroom window and shot the victim in the head with that pistol, causing her death.
In The Citizen story following the shooting, the teen was found dead in her bed by her mother in the basement apartment at 6 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, according to Peachtree City Assistant Chief Matt Myers.
The mother discovered the girl’s body Tuesday at 6 a.m. and called police. The victim was last seen alive by her mother the previous evening, Myers said.
The three suspects also were present at the apartment for a time Monday evening, and Myers said police began looking for them within a short time after the crime was reported. There are no other suspects being sought, Myers said.
Detectives quickly identified three suspects, all of whom were the victim’s acquaintances.
One of the suspects was arrested by Fayette County Sheriff’s Office after fleeing a residence in Fayetteville. Another suspect was located and detained at the same residence, and a search warrant was issued for the home. Peachtree City detectives obtained an arrest warrant for the third suspect and continued working through the night to locate him. By the next morning, the third suspect’s vehicle was seized from a residence in Gainesville, GA, and he was arrested at home in Fayetteville.
After trial, the Honorable W. Fletcher Sams sentenced the defendant to a total sentence of life imprisonment without parole plus 5 years and 12 months.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Warren Sellers and Senior Assistant District Attorney Daniel Hiatt.
The case was investigated by the Peachtree City Police Department with assistance from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
“Violence by young people is a growing concern across the state,” said DA Marie Broder. “My office is committed to the fight against violence in our communities, no matter the age of the offender. I am grateful to my team and our law enforcement partners for their work on this case, and to the jury for their pursuit of the truth and justice for the victim.”
I hear a monotone myopic logic from Dems and liberals about why they want Biden and now Harris…nothing and I repeat nothing they say involves:
Sost of living
Inflation
Millions of illegal immigrants
Dismally failing cities
Crime
Education
Personal responsibility
The current administration of Biden and Harris have criminally failed America.
All the liberals can do is hate Trump…do you have any answers for the problems??
A black kid in a hoodie shoplifts $200 worth of merchandise and deserves to be shot when leaving the store or at least prosecuted with jail time. A white guy in a tie falsifies $130,000 in legal fees to influence a national election, and his prosecution is bemoaned as selective and persecution, not even worthy of a fine.
Am I the only one who smells hypocrisy?
It feel like the Twilight Zone when I see the political ads haranguing Harris for failure to prosecute every San Francisco lawbreaker juxtaposed with 45 and his enablers constantly protesting being held accountable for his own lawlessness. Can any voter be blind to this hypocrisy? Only in Fox-world.
And yet, as ever, truth is much stranger than fiction!
Harris said she would reduce cost of living if elected…why wait? What have they really done in 4 years…please tell us.
Since we are now totally political…what about the obvious political graft and corruption of the current incumbent through his addict son and how the entire family has prospered from laundering money or getting contracts, board seats or just outright bribes from China, Russia and Ukraine?
V.H. – The last time I looked, the Incumbent is not on the ticket. However, if ANY politician has broken the law, I hope he or she will be prosecuted to the full extent of the statute. Whataboutism does nothing to excuse 45 who was duly convicted of a felony by a jury of citizens.
10/4
But I have to go with what is available and I choose the felon…will be turned over on appeal because of many issues with charges…anyway…I prefer lover cost of living…do you remember Carter? Too many of your “black kid in a hoodie shoplifts $200 worth of merchandise” and that people would accept the new urban world in America.
What is it really that you want?
V.H. – I’m not opposed to arresting and prosecuting shoplifters with reasonable sentencing. My point is that powerful people shouldn’t get a pass, especially when their crimes are infinitely more consequential to our democracy.
What a senseless and tragic loss of this beautiful girl. Thankfully, we live in an area of the country where the police, DA’s and judges apply the law to get some measure of justice for the family and our community.
I certainly agree that our Fayette County solicitors do a fine job.
Thankfully, local DAs all around the country like Alvin Bragg and Fani Willis aren’t afraid to prosecute lawlessness no matter how powerful the perpetrator. Any country without a strong judiciary will ultimately fail.
Please don’t include our DAs into the same category as the Big City, bloated and politically driven self-serving amateurs like Bragg and Willis….they are narcissistic puppets of the extreme left…just look at the streets of their cities.
Our DAs are professional, non-political and fair…following the law and avoiding politics in the execution of their duties…sending a message to the swill that is leaking into our county.
Maybe you should pack up and move to downtown ATL or NY.
Fatti and Fat Albert were so dedicated they even prosecuted cases where no crimes occurred and the statues of limitations have expired.
Even hired their intimate partners to burn the mid night oil in govt $ working the cases.
True dedication there
Prosecuted cases where no crimes occurred? Damn you might want to tell that to Trump lawyers Kenneth Cheseboro, Sidney Powell, and Jenna Ellis who all entered guilty pleas on felony counts on the election interference case here in Georgia.
Did the DAs announce that they were going after those individuals just to get elected?
The law and order issue in this national election couldn’t be clearer. You can vote for the prosecutor or the convicted felon. It’s not really complicated.
I won’t vote for a cardboard prosecutor that has a liberal political agenda.