MACON, Ga. — A man is in jail on charges that he murdered his ex-girlfriend, Cynthia Berry, at her north Macon home early Monday morning.
The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office says Joey Fournier, 50, is now facing a charge of murder in connection with Berry’s death.
The sheriff's office says after an investigation, deputies found out that Fournier was at Berry's home the night of her death. He called for a ride and left the home.
On Tuesday, US Marshals found Fournier with his brother in Rome. They were both arrested and taken to the Bibb County jail without incident.
Fournier's brother was charged with hindering apprehension, and later released Wednesday after charges were dropped.
Berry’s father found her dead inside her home off Winchester Place in the Barrington Hall subdivision around 1:30 a.m. Monday.
Cynthia’s daughter, Brianna, told 13WMAZ that her mother recently moved to the home to start a new life away from a violent ex-boyfriend. She would have turned 50 in May.
“She was just a really sweet woman -- a really, really... sweetest woman you'll ever meet; and I guess what I wanted to say was with Mother's Day coming up, despite whatever you got going on with your parents just hold them close,” said Brianna.
Records say Berry and Fournier had a history of domestic violence. Just five months ago, a Bibb County judge granted Berry a 12-month protective order against Fournier.
Her petition that she filed with the court claimed that he assaulted her at least three times over their eight-year relationship.
She wrote the worst happened on Aug. 24, 2021 when she moved out of their home. She claimed Fournier tried to take her cell phone, pushed her to ground, put her in a chokehold, picked her up from the ground, and then took her phone.
She also said Fournier followed her into the kitchen, pushed her arm into her back and threatened to break it.
Berry wrote she was bloodied, had trouble breathing and was still experiencing pain from the alleged attack a month later.
It wasn’t the first time the man assaulted her, according to her petition. She said Fournier punched her in the chest in 2017 and then stomped on her foot in 2018, breaking her toe.
The judge ruled there was probable cause to believe the abuse happened.