Fort Valley murder case declared mistrial after juror discusses fear of serving, DA says

PEACH COUNTY, Ga. — The trial for a man accused of a 2022 murder has been delayed after a mistrial was declared due to juror misconduct, according to a statement from the Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.

Tyler Keondre Jones was charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the May 2022 shooting death of Brandon Goodwin on Edward Street.

According to the District Attorney’s Office, the case began Monday, June 22, and by 7:00 p.m. a jury had been selected. However, on Tuesday morning, prior to opening statements, a seated juror was found to have spoken with fellow jurors about her “personal fear of serving on the case.”

Under Georgia law, jurors are prohibited from discussing the case with other jurors until deliberations and must remain impartial. As a result, the case was declared a mistrial by the presiding judge. 

The juror responsible for those communications was found in contempt of court by the judge and had been remanded to jail for a period of 10 days to be served on the weekends. However, a few hours later, the Court vacated the ruling. Instead, the Court will hold a hearing on Friday, June 26 at noon at the Peach County Courthouse.

District Attorney Anita Howard released the following statement regarding her disappointment with the mistrial and that her office plans to prosecute the case in August.

“We are disappointed that the victim’s family must endure further delay in seeing justice served,” District Attorney Anita Howard said. “However, the integrity of the jury process is foundational to our justice system, and we will not proceed with anything less than a fair and impartial jury. We remain fully committed to prosecuting this case and will return to court at the next jury trial term in August ready to proceed.”