A Georgia teenager has been sentenced to life in prison for fatally shooting 15-year-old Madison Gesswein in her bedroom last year. Madison was killed in her Peachtree City, Georgia, home on Feb. 21, 2023, according to the Peachtree City Police DepartmentAuthorities quickly arrested Justus Smith, Jacobean Brown and Yeshua Mathis, all 18, in connection with her murder.
On Tuesday, July 6, Fayette County authorities announced that Jacobean Brown had been found guilty of Madison’s murder, according to a report The Atlanta Journal-Constitutionand The Citizen. Prosecutors revealed that Madison had an argument with all three defendants the night before the murder, and that text messages between them served as key evidence in the case.
On the night of the murder, while Madison was in bed, Brown sneaked into her bedroom through a window and shot her in the head with a handgun he had brought with him, according to evidence presented in court. Authorities also revealed that Brown, along with Smith and Mathis, had allegedly brought cleaning supplies into the home with them, indicating a premeditated plan, as noted by the Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.
The next morning, Madison’s mother discovered her daughter in a pool of blood and called 911, according to records cited by 11 live At that time, Smith and Mathis are scheduled to go to trial in September, according to court records reviewed by WSB-Television Channel. Although a specific motive for the crime has not been officially announced, police have stated that Madison knew her killer and the two other defendants.
The tragic murder has shocked the Peachtree City community and highlighted the devastating impact of youth violence. Brown’s life sentence is a grim reminder of the consequences of these heinous acts.