A DeKalb County grand jury has indicted 57-year-old LaHarry Ward on malice murder, felony murder and aggravated assault charges in the death of his ex-girlfriend, 43-year-old Toyka Biggs, who was found dead on the floor of her Decatur apartment on July 21. Ward was also indicted for violating a family violence order, after prosecutors say he was under explicit bond conditions requiring him to stay away from Biggs and the apartment she once shared with him when she was killed.
Officers found Biggs dead on the floor of her apartment on Friendly Heights Boulevard, where she had suffered multiple stab wounds and repeated blows to the head, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. 11Alive reported that Biggs was found on a Friday and Ward was charged on a Wednesday. Biggs is survived by her 18-year-old son, Jahuari Ware, the outlet reported.
Ward had already been arrested once on a battery-family violence charge against Biggs, and his resulting bond terms barred him from contacting her or returning to their former shared apartment, per the FOX 5 Atlanta report. Investigators say surveillance footage showed Ward at the apartment complex around the time Biggs died, despite those court-ordered restrictions.
Family Says She Lived in Fear for Months
Biggs' relatives say she endured months of stalking and harassment from Ward after ending their relationship, despite repeated calls to police, help from advocates, and efforts by family to relocate her. The station's report on the case detailed how those warning signs escalated even as Ward remained under court-ordered bond conditions meant to keep him away from her.
Ward is being held without bond in the DeKalb County jail and awaits arraignment, per the same account from FOX 5 Atlanta. Officials have not scheduled an exact trial date.
Legal Standard Behind the Charges
Georgia Code § 16-5-1 allows a malice murder conviction based on deliberate intent, known as express malice, or implied malice, according to The Epps Law Group. A felony murder conviction requires that a death occur during the commission of an underlying felony such as aggravated assault. Both offenses carry sentences of life with or without parole, or the death penalty, under Georgia law. Separately, Georgia Code § 16-5-95 makes it a crime to knowingly violate a court-issued family violence protective order or pretrial bond condition requiring a defendant to stay away from a victim or a shared residence, according to Justia Law.
A Specialized Unit With Recent Precedent
The case is being prosecuted by the DeKalb County District Attorney's Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Unit. The same unit secured a conviction earlier this year against J'ana Rawat for malice murder and family violence charges following a fatal shooting inside a DeKalb apartment, a case Hoodline covered in March.
The Friendly Heights Boulevard corridor has seen other recent violence. On September 30, DeKalb County police responded to a separate incident on the same block after an occupant shot a knife-wielding intruder who was trying to force his way into multiple apartments, Hoodline reported in earlier coverage of that confrontation.
A Statewide Pattern of Violence
Georgia recorded 42,184 family violence incidents in 2024, a 12 percent increase over the prior year, according to state data cited by Monroe Local News. More than 35 percent of those reported incidents resulted in an arrest. Statewide, a domestic violence fatality occurs in Georgia roughly every 48 hours, and firearms are used in 80 percent of those deaths, according to a 2025 Georgia Commission on Family Violence fact sheet.
Officials say the story's underlying details were gathered from official court and law enforcement records provided by the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office and the DeKalb County Police Department. No arraignment date for Ward has yet been made public.
