MACON, Ga. — The Centerville man convicted of murdering another man at a Warner Robin motel will serve a life sentence with possible parole, according to the Houston County District Attorney.
After a three-day trial, a Houston County jury last week convicted 23-year-old John Bay Gollott was of killing 24-year-old Kristopher Ryan Mast .
It happened July 4, 2021.at the Motel 6 on Watson Boulevard.
According to District Attorney William Kendall, Gollott and Mast were staying at the motel in adjacent rooms, but didn't know each other.
The D.A. says Mast and his girlfriend got into an argument that night.
When Mast left the room, he says Gollott followed him to a secluded area behind the motel and fired three shots with a .22 caliber semi-automatic pistol. Mast was hit in the neck, chest and abdomen.
Mast's body was found around 30 minutes later. When authorities arrested Gollott, they found him with a firearm that matched the bullets' and shell casings found at the scene.
Gollott claimed self-defense and claimed that Mast had tried to rob him, according to Kendall.
Later, Gollott admitted to authorities that Mast did not try and rob him but instead walked toward him like he was about to fight him.
But at the trial, the prosecution argued that Gollott provoked the dispute and Mast did not pose a threat or touch Gollott.
The jury agreed.
After five hours of deliberation last Thursday, the jury convicted Gollott of one count of malice murder, one count of felony murder, and one count of aggravated assault.