Man sentenced for armed robbery, kidnapping in Macon

According to the news release, 43-year-old Hdywandus Hdyminus Harden orchestrated a violent armed robbery and kidnapping that left his victim shot five times and abandoned on the roadside in broad daylight.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — A man was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole plus an additional 10 years to be served consecutively for the armed robbery and kidnapping of his relative’s brother-in-law, according to a news release from the Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.

According to the news release, 43-year-old Hdywandus Hdyminus Harden orchestrated a violent armed robbery and kidnapping that left his victim shot five times and abandoned on the roadside in broad daylight.

Harden was found guilty on February 4, 2026, of armed robbery and kidnapping.

On May 25, 2022, the victim drove to pick up Harden, whose brother is married to the victim’s sister, near CSL Plasma on Mercer University Drive in Macon.

The news release states that as the victim stopped his white SUV, an unidentified male accomplice emerged from the woods, struck the victim with a firearm, and forced him from the vehicle. Harden and the accomplice then forced Howard into the backseat of his own SUV at gunpoint.

Harden drove away while the accomplice held the victim at gunpoint in the back. During the drive, Harden demanded money and the victim’s Cash App card. After the victim complied, Harden transferred $400 from the victim’s account to his own.

The news release adds that as the vehicle approached Thomaston Road, the victim leaped from the moving SUV and attempted to flee. Harden executed a U-turn, chased the victim, and shot him five times.

Both assailants then drove away in the victim’s vehicle, leaving him wounded on the side of the road. The accomplice remains unknown and at large.

District Attorney Anita Howard released the following statement:

“This was a calculated and brutal attack on a victim who trusted the defendant because of their family connection. Mr. Howard showed up to help someone he knew, only to be violently ambushed and left for dead. Thanks to the courage of witnesses who called 911, justice has been served. While we’re grateful for this conviction, and our work isn’t finished. The accomplice remains at large, and we encourage anyone with information to come forward.”