An Atlanta man has been condemned to spend his life behind bars following a lethal shooting and armed robbery that claimed the life of a 40-year-old man in DeKalb County. Chris Jackson, 20, received two life sentences and an additional 30 years for an array of charges including felony murder and armed robbery, the DeKalb County District Attorney's office declared Tuesday.
The sentencing comes after a harrowing episode on Aug. 30, 2022, which left Travies Thomas with fatal gunshot wounds at an apartment complex on Bedevere Circle. The DeKalb DA's office said police were summoned to the grisly scene where they discovered Thomas grievously injured; he was later pronounced dead at Atlanta Medical Center. According to a statement obtained by Atlanta News First, officers found five bullet casings in different parts of the apartment along with two safes, one of which was opened and emptied.
A witness, recounting the turmoil, described hearing gunshots while showering and then witnessing a masked man hastily steal her iPhone before fleeing. Another individual reported seeing two men escape in a black BMW SUV, an account supported by nearby surveillance footage. Detectives leveraged this evidence to trace a vehicle parked at the victim's apartment, which belonged to Jackson's girlfriend, Enexia Liggons, as per the DA's office. Liggons, who was arrested, identified Jackson and the alias "Menace," real name Joe Noel, also 20, as the culprits. Noel has since pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter on March 25, with sentencing still to be determined.
Despite Jackson's testimony during trial that he was at the apartment merely to buy drugs and "did not shoot Thomas," the jury delivered a guilty verdict, 11Alive reported. His involvement secured his life sentence plus additional 30 years.
