Georgia Court of Appeals reinstates firearm conviction in 2024 Macon fatal shooting

A three-judge panel found that Georgia law allows inconsistent verdicts, sending the case back to Superior Court for sentencing.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Georgia Court of Appeals has reinstated a firearm conviction in a 2024 fatal shooting case, reversing a Bibb County judge’s order and sending the case back to Superior Court for sentencing.

According to a news release from Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney Anita Howard’s Office ,the ruling, issued October 8, reverses Superior Court Judge Jeffrey O. Monroe’s decision to vacate a jury’s guilty verdict against Jordan Lavoris Dean for possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. The Court determined the trial court inappropriately set aside the conviction, the release said.

A three-judge panel unanimously found that Georgia law allows inconsistent verdicts in criminal cases. According to the release, the Georgia Supreme Court abolished the rule against inconsistent verdicts in 1986, and appellate courts have repeatedly upheld firearm convictions even when defendants were acquitted of the underlying felony.

The Court of Appeals ruled that sufficient evidence supported Dean’s conviction. Trial testimony showed Dean discharged a Glock firearm through the victim’s windshield during a confrontation, and the victim later died from multiple gunshot wounds. Dean testified that he fired what he described as a “warning shot,” the release said.

The case now returns to the trial court for sentencing on the firearm charge.

“We appreciate the Court of Appeals’ thorough review of this case and its clear application of Georgia law,” District Attorney Anita Howard said in the release. “Our office has a duty to ensure that the laws of Georgia are applied correctly and consistently. This decision ensures that justice is properly served and reaffirms that a jury’s verdict must be respected when supported by evidence. Our responsibility is to seek justice under the law in a court of law and not to accept outcomes that contradict four decades of legal precedent. We will continue to fulfill our duty to the citizens of this Circuit to assure the proper application of Georgia law.”