A man was found guilty on Thursday by a Houston County jury of several charges in connection with a murder that took place in Warner Robins back in 2016.
Anighyah Zhalon Neal, 23, was found guilty of felony murder (during aggravated assault), aggravated assault with deadly weapon, and possession of firearm during a crime, according to a Houston County District Attorney news release.
The jury deliberated for about three hours and also acquitted Neal on several counts including felony murder (during armed robbery), armed robbery, and possession of firearm during a crime (armed robbery).
Neal was charged with robbing and killing Lance "Goat" Williams, 30, in his home on July 8, 2016.
Police were called to the Richmond Hill subdivision off of Gunn Road in Warner Robins around 2:00 p.m. that day after a neighbor heard glass breaking and saw a man jump the fence into his back yard.
The neighbor confronted the male, identified during the trial as Neal, who then threatened the neighbor.
When he followed Neal and saw him get picked up by two men, the neighbor got the tag number and called 911.
The tag number led to the arrests of Anighyah Neal, Voneric Richardson and Kadarius Kendrick.
All three reportedly knew the victim.
When arrested, Neal claimed that Williams pulled a gun on him and actually fired at him first. According to the release, the claim of self-defense was not supported by evidence at the scene.
Neal was sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole and an additional 5 years in prison for the gun charge.
