Two men sentenced to life in prison for shooting death of Fort Valley toddler

Earlier this month, Jabari Thomas and Wontazious Bivins were convicted of malice murder, felony murder and other charges related to the death of 23-month-old Marcus Ball Jr and the injury of his 12-month-old sister Makailey Ball.

FORT VALLEY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT)— Today, two men were sentenced for their involvement in the shooting death of a toddler in Fort Valley. But investigators still don’t know who fired the fatal shot.

Earlier this month, Jabari Thomas and Wontazious Bivins were convicted of malice murder, felony murder and other charges related to the death of 23-month-old Marcus Ball Jr. and the injury of his 12-month-old sister Makailey Ball. Thomas was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 25 years. Bivins also received a life sentence, with an additional 35 years.

The District Attorney’s office is seeking tips that can lead to the arrest of the individual they believe fired the fatal shots during the incident.

“We need people to make that phone call even when it’s hard,” said Anita Howard, District Attorney for the Macon Judicial Circuit. “A single tip can break a case wide open. We need community members that understand that staying silent protects killers, not neighborhoods.” 

In May, a Peach County jury found Christopher Miller guilty of malice murder, felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of possession of a firearm during commission of a felony related to the shooting.

Tiffany Walker, the mother of Marcus Ball Jr., spoke out following Friday’s sentence hearing.

“I’m glad everyone was brought to justice, but this will never bring my baby back,” Walker said. “I will never get to tell him I love him. I will never get to kiss him. I will never know what his first day of school would be like.

If you have any information related to the shooting, you can contact the Peach County Sheriff’s Office at 478-825-3435.