Houston County man sentenced to life for malice murder
WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — A 23-year-old man was convicted of murder in Houston County last Thursday after a 3-day trial and was sentenced to life with parole.
A release from District Attorney William Kendall says the conviction comes after investigation of an incident that took place near the Motel 6 on Watson Boulevard in Warner Robins, on July 4th 2021. Witness testimony states that 24-year-old Kristopher Mast engaged in a domestic altercation with his girlfriend in a motel room that was next door to 23-year-old John Gollott’s motel room. Gollott did not personally know Mast or his girlfriend, but followed Mast out of his hotel room into a secluded area across the parking lot behind the motel. Gollott approached Mast, who was unarmed, and fired 3 fatal shots in the neck, chest and abdomen. Gollott fled the scene on foot, and the body was found by a passerby about 30 minutes later.
Gollott was found and arrested the next day by Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force. When he was found, he had the firearm in his possession that was linked to the shell casings at the scene and the bullet recovered from Mast’s body.
Gollott originally told police that Mast tried to rob him, but later admitted that he didn’t rob him but instead that he walked towards Gollott as if to fight him. The release from Kendall shows that evidence points towards Gollott being the aggressor of the situation, and that Mast didn’t threaten or touch him. Gollott claimed self-defense at trial, but the jury found that he wasn’t justified in killing Mast.
ADA Alicia Gassett had this to say about the case:
“I am thankful for the people of Houston County who served on this jury. The defense tried to make a case for vigilante justice, but our jurors applied Georgia law to the facts in evidence to render a true verdict. ”
Meanwhile, this is what DA Kendall had to say:
“Violence perpetrated by young men and women is tragedy plaguing our modern society. Not only is the life of the victim and his family ruined, but also a young man who made a heinous decision to take another’s life. This Defendant will now spend the next 30 years or more in prison, while the victim’s family will mourn for a lifetime. Our community is no place for violence, those who chose to commit such acts will be prosecuted without reservation in accordance with our laws.
