Georgia Supreme Court upholds Baldwin County murder conviction
Ray Eugene Pollard’s life sentence for the 2020 Baldwin County shooting of Jonathon McAfee was affirmed by the state’s highest court.
MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT)- The Georgia Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the murder conviction and life sentence of Ray Eugene Pollard, who was found guilty in the 2020 shooting death of Jonathon McAfee in Baldwin County.
According to court records, evidence presented at trial showed that Pollard drove to McAfee’s Milledgeville home just weeks after his former partner ended their nine-year relationship and begun seeing McAfee. On the morning of August 22, 2020, Pollard arrived at McAfee’s residence banging on the door and honking his horn, leading neighbors to call 911. He was removed from the property and told not to return.
On the night of October 3, McAfee was shot once in the abdomen outside his home. Witnesses testified that a light-colored SUV had sped through the area shortly before McAfee was found bleeding near his truck. He died shortly after being transported to a hospital.
Physical and digital evidence tied Pollard to the crime
Pollard’s vehicle was later found with a busted taillight and missing muffler, and forensic evidence — including a detached muffler and red plastic taillight pieces — were discovered near a damaged fence close to the crime scene. Inside Pollard’s home, officers also found .30-30 caliber ammunition, consistent with the bullet that killed McAfee.
Pollard initially denied involvement but later admitted driving to Milledgeville on the night of the shooting and fleeing through the damaged fence. He claimed he only went to “check on” Pence and never left his vehicle.
Appeal centered on phone location data
Pollard appealed his conviction, arguing that his trial counsel was ineffective for not objecting to cell-site location information (CSLI) obtained without a search warrant. The court assumed, without ruling, that the attorney may have been deficient. However, the justices concluded that the outcome would not have changed due to the overwhelming evidence of guilt, including physical evidence, eyewitness accounts, and threatening Facebook messages sent by Pollard weeks before the killing.
Court affirms conviction
Pollard was convicted in Baldwin County Superior Court of malice murder and sentenced to life without parole. His conviction was affirmed unanimously by the Georgia Supreme Court, which concluded that his ineffective counsel claim did not meet the legal threshold to warrant a new trial.
