MACON, Ga. — Update, 12:40 p.m. Sept 22:
Records from the Bibb County Sheriff's Office show that Keith Beddingfield Jr., who was charged on Thursday in connection with the shooting of a family on Thoroughbred Lane in South Bibb on January 21, was already in prison at the time of the charges.
They say that after Donnie White was taken into custody for being present at the shooting. He revealed that while following the Patel's car, a man was on the phone with Terrell Mills directing them back on track after losing the car.
During the investigation, a phone number was found in Terrell's phone that revealed the suspect who operated the number was located within Valdosta State Prison.
The phone records were able to pinpoint what building the suspect was in at the time. The dorm that the phone pinged from housed Keith Beddingfield Jr.
The Department of Corrections was able to recover a phone from Beddingfield Jr. and get access to information talking about the Patel's and other suspects.
They confirmed Beddingfield was part of a texting chain with other suspects to follow the Patel's.
Beddingfield is currently in the Macon State Prison serving a life sentence for a murder back in 2018.
While awaiting a trial on the 2018 murder, Beddingfield was also charged in 2019 with 32 others with racketeering inside the Bibb County jail.
An investigation at the time found gang members used the phones to conspire to attempt murder, intimidate witnesses, and distribute drugs and other illegal acts.
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Another man has been charged in the shooting of three people back in January on Thoroughbred Lane in South Bibb, according to a press release from the Bibb County Sheriff's Office.
Back on Jan. 21 at around 11:01 p.m., Pinal Kumar Patel and his family were coming home when three masked men ran up to them, according to a previous press release from the sheriff's office.
When Patel confronted them, they say the men shot and killed Patel.
His wife, Rupalben and their child, Bhakti, were also shot. They both survived.
On Thursday at around 11 a.m., Keith Beddingfield Jr., 33, was taken to the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center. He is charged with felony murder.
Beddingfield is the third person charged in connection to the January shooting.
40-year-old Terrell Ugean Mills was arrested on Jan. 31 in the shooting. He was charged with felony murder and two counts of aggravated assault.
Then, on March 10, 37-year-old Shaun Mills was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Anniston, AL. He was also charged with Felony Murder and two counts of aggravated assault.
The Bibb County Sheriff's Office says that the investigation at Thoroughbred Lane is still ongoing, and there are additional charges and arrests pending.
If you have any information, the Bibb County Sheriff's Office asks you to call the sheriff's office at 478-751-7500 or the Macon Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-877-68CRIME.
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