A 32-year-old Canon, Georgia woman is facing murder charges after deputies say she hit a man with a vehicle during a domestic incident that unfolded in front of at least two children. Roy Adam Gentry later died from his injuries, according to the Franklin County Sheriff's Office.
The Franklin County Sheriff's Office said Lisa Marie Peeples struck Gentry with a vehicle and drove toward at least two other people at the scene during the confrontation. Franklin County 911 received a call about a domestic incident involving a vehicle around 10:21 p.m. Thursday on Cheek Drive in Canon, prompting deputies and first responders to respond, as reported by FOX Carolina. Gentry was life-flighted to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, where he later died.
Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville is one of six nationally verified Level I trauma centers in the state, according to Northeast Georgia Health System, underscoring the severity of the injuries emergency crews were working to treat after the collision. The hospital serves as the primary regional trauma hub for northeast Georgia, a detail that speaks to how serious Gentry's condition was when he arrived by helicopter.
A Cascade of Charges Spanning Murder to Child Cruelty
Peeples was arrested and now faces an unusually stacked set of charges tied to the single incident. She was charged with malice murder, felony murder, first-degree homicide by vehicle involving DUI, first-degree homicide by vehicle involving reckless driving, DUI, reckless driving, hit and run, and aggravated assault under the Family Violence Act. The sheriff's office said Peeples caused Gentry's death, though it has not detailed what led up to the vehicle strike.
Under Georgia law, malice murder requires proof of deliberate intent or implied malice, while felony murder applies when a death results from an underlying dangerous felony regardless of intent, according to legal statutes cited by Justia. Both charges carry mandatory penalties of life imprisonment, life without parole, or death, meaning prosecutors appear to be pursuing alternative legal theories heading into a grand jury presentation. Separately, first-degree homicide by vehicle involving DUI or reckless driving is a felony punishable by three to 15 years in prison under Georgia Code § 40-6-393, per FindLaw.
Peeples was also charged with two counts each of second-degree and third-degree cruelty to children, stemming from the fact that at least two children were present during the domestic incident. Georgia's second-degree cruelty to children statute covers causing cruel or excessive physical or mental pain through criminal negligence and carries one to 10 years in prison, while third-degree cruelty to children is a misdemeanor aimed at primary aggressors who allow children to witness family violence or forcible felonies, according to legal code detailed by Fastcase. The aggravated assault charge was explicitly filed under Georgia's Family Violence Act, which applies to violent crimes between people who currently or formerly lived together, according to the Child Welfare Information Gateway.
Investigation Led by Sheriff's Criminal Investigations Division
The Franklin County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division led a joint investigation into the incident. Smaller sheriff's offices in rural Georgia counties frequently coordinate with state resources like the Georgia Bureau of Investigation on complex cases, a pattern documented in past Franklin County investigations by WNEG. The sheriff's office said additional charges may be forthcoming as the investigation continues.
The case will be presented to the Franklin County grand jury in its next session, the sheriff's office said. Felony prosecutions and grand jury presentments from Franklin County move through the Superior Court of Franklin County in Carnesville, part of Georgia's Northern Judicial Circuit, which also covers Elbert, Hart, Madison, and Oglethorpe counties, according to Franklin County government records.
A Small Community Shaken by a Deadly Domestic Call
Canon is a tiny community of roughly 879 residents spread across just over three square miles in eastern Franklin County, near the Hart County line along Georgia State Routes 17 and 51, according to population data compiled by MMCG Analytics. Franklin County itself has grown to an estimated 25,948 residents as of 2025, up from 23,424 in the 2020 census, per figures cited on Wikipedia. A case involving multiple murder and child cruelty charges is a rare and jarring event for a county of that size.
Exactly what led to the confrontation on Cheek Drive, the relationship between Peeples and Gentry, and any toxicology findings tied to the DUI charge have not been disclosed by investigators. Those details, along with whether the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's collision reconstruction could lead to additional charges, remain open questions as the case heads toward the grand jury.
