BYRON, Ga. — Editor's note: Video in this story is from initial coverage in 2017.
A former Byron man was sentenced to life in prison Thursday after a jury trial in a 2017 homicide case.
According to a news release from Macon District Attorney Anita Howard, 62-year-old David Billings was found guilty of malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault in connection with the death of Lloyd Goldie.
Though the shooting happened in June 2017, Billings wasn’t formally charged until Dec. 2018 as investigators worked to figure out if the shooting was in self-defense or with criminal intent.
In 2017, Peach Sheriff Terry Deese and the GBI said Goldie was fatally shot after a night with friends turned violent. Then-GBI Special Agent J.T. Ricketson said the group was socializing and drinking when Goldie turned ‘obnoxious and combative.’
He was ultimately shot at least six times; including three shots to the back.
Interviews with people at the scene, the scene itself, and evidence processed by the GBI is what led investigators to arresting Billings. He was arrested at his home in North Carolina and brought back to Georgia.
The District Attorney’s post says it took jurors two hours to reject Billings’ self-defense argument. He was sentenced after the verdict to life WITH the possibility of parole.
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