Major cases expected to go to trial in 2026 in metro Atlanta, North Georgia
ATLANTA - Courts across metro Atlanta and North Georgia are preparing for a busy year ahead, with several high-profile criminal cases expected to go to trial in 2026. From mass shootings and long-delayed cold cases to alleged domestic killings and child deaths, prosecutors and defense attorneys are gearing up for proceedings that could bring long-awaited answers for victims’ families and communities. Here is a look at some of the most closely watched trials that could unfold in the year ahead.
Editor's Note: FOX 5 Atlanta reached out to multiple district attorneys and is waiting for some responses. Check back for updates to this list.
FULTON COUNTY
Atlanta spa shootings – Robert Aaron Long
Robert Long
The long-running Atlanta spa shootings case is expected to continue moving toward trial in 2026 in Fulton County.
Robert Aaron Long is already serving four life sentences without parole after pleading guilty in Cherokee County for the 2021 killings. In Fulton County, however, Long still faces 19 additional charges, including murder, aggravated assault and domestic terrorism, tied to the shootings at Atlanta massage businesses. Prosecutors have said they plan to seek the death penalty. Pretrial motions are ongoing, and no firm trial date has been set, though proceedings could stretch into late 2026.
Murder of Clark Atlanta student Alexis Crawford
The 2019 murder of Alexis Crawford remains one of Fulton County’s most closely watched unresolved cases.
Crawford was found dead in Exchange Park after being reported missing. Her roommate, Jordyn Jones, and Jones’ then-boyfriend, Barron Brantley, are charged with murder. Prosecutors allege Crawford was suffocated during a physical altercation. The case has faced repeated delays due to disputes over evidence, including jail phone calls and digital records. As of late 2025, no trial dates had been finalized, but proceedings could resume in 2026.
MOST RECENT STORY: Jail calls admissable in 2019 Clark Atlanta student murder case, court rules
Bre’Asia Powell murder
The prosecution of those charged in the 2023 killing of 16-year-old Bre’Asia Powell remains uncertain following a mistrial.
Powell was shot and killed during an unauthorized graduation party at Benjamin E. Mays High School. Three men – 18-year-old Jaquan Withers, 19-year-old Willie Dennis and 19-year-old Tsenre Mosley – were charged and went to trial in late 2025, but a Fulton County judge declared a mistrial after issues arose over evidence disclosure. Prosecutors have not yet announced whether the case will be retried in 2026.
MOST RECENT STORY: Mistrial declared in Bre’Asia Powell murder trial
Connor Mediate murder
More than four years after the killing of Connor Mediate, the case remains stalled in the Fulton County court system.
Mediate, a Kennesaw State University graduate, was shot and killed outside an Alpharetta apartment complex in 2021. Two former Milton High School basketball players – Jonathan Murray and Cameron Walker -- were charged. As of early 2026, no trial date has been set, though the case is still active and could move forward this year.
MOST RECENT STORY: Connor Mediate's murder: Three years on, family awaits justice
BARROW COUNTY
Apalachee High School mass shooting
Two separate but related cases stemming from the 2024 Apalachee High School shooting which resulted in the deaths of 2 teachers and 2 students could see significant developments in 2026.
Colin Gray, the father of the accused shooter, is scheduled to go to trial beginning Feb. 9, 2026. Prosecutors allege he provided the firearm used in the shooting, which left four people dead.
Colin Gray, father of accused Apalachee High School shooter Colt Gray, testifies in a Barrow County courtroom on Feb. 11, 2025
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Meanwhile, Colt Gray, who was 14 at the time of the shooting, has not yet been scheduled for trial. His case remains in the pretrial phase pending a mental health evaluation, with a court appearance set for March 18. A trial later in 2026 remains possible.
Accused Apalachee High School shooter Colt Gray walks into a Barrow County courtroom for a brief status hearing, where attorneys updated the judge on his pending psychological evaluation, on December 9, 2025. (FOX 5)
MOST RECENT STORY: Apalachee High School shooting: Mental eval still incomplete for Colt Gray
CARROLL COUNTY
Murder of mother and stepfather
One of the earliest major trials of the year is set to begin Jan. 5, 2026, in Carroll County.
Sarah Grace Patrick is charged with the 2025 murders of her mother and stepfather, James Patrick and Kristen Patrick. Prosecutors allege the couple was killed during a domestic incident inside their home. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Jan. 5, making this one of the most closely watched trials of early 2026.
FOX 5 Atlanta photo
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CLARKE COUNTY
Cold-case murder of UGA student Tara Baker
A decades-old case is expected to finally reach a courtroom in 2026.
Edrick Lamont Faust is charged with the 2001 murder of University of Georgia law student Tara Baker. Investigators say new DNA technology linked Faust to the killing more than 20 years later. A trial is scheduled for Jan. 26.
Edrick Faust was denied bond in the 2001 murder of UGA Law student Tara Baker during a court hearing in Athens-Clarke County on Aug. 20, 2024. (FOX 5)
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CLAYTON COUNTY
Libby Lane murders – Michael De’Sean White case
A long-running gang-related double homicide case in Clayton County continues to move through the court system with one defendant still awaiting trial.
PREVIOUS STORY: DeKalb County elementary teacher arrested in murder of siblings
On Oct. 22, 2016, Tatiyana Coates, 11, and her brother Daveon Coates, 15, were shot to death inside their home on Libby Lane in the Jonesboro area during a gang-related home invasion. Investigators said a group of suspected gang members, believed to be looking for another teenager, opened fire in retaliation for a stolen firearm; the Coates siblings were innocent victims sleeping in their beds when they were killed.
Among the suspects in the case is Michael De’Sean White, a former DeKalb County elementary school teacher who was charged with multiple counts of murder. White has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody as his separate case moves through the legal system. Several other defendants in the broader Libby Lane indictment have since been convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
White's trial is expected to start in late January.
Fieldcrest Drive murder – Christian Ponce-Martinez case
A disturbing 2018 homicide case in Clayton County is expected to reach some form of resolution this year.
Christian Ponce-Martinez is charged with malice murder in the death of his neighbor, Robert Page, 76, of Morrow. Police say Page was reported missing by his wife, leading investigators to surveillance video placing Ponce-Martinez on Page’s property.
Authorities later found Ponce-Martinez hiding behind his home and say Page’s cellphone was on him. Investigators followed a trail of blood to Page’s dismembered remains, which were found inside a cooler and under tarps in the backyard of the Fieldcrest Drive residence.
RELATED STORY: Police: Missing man found murdered near neighbor's backyard
Ponce-Martinez has been held without bond since his arrest and also faces an obstruction charge. Court officials say the long-running case could see a resolution in 2026.
Khaliyah Jones murder – Cameron Hopkins case
A high-profile Clayton County murder case tied to bond and indictment failures is expected to reach some form of resolution in 2026, though it is not yet clear whether the case will go to trial.
Cameron Hopkins is charged with malice murder and related offenses in the July 2023 killing of his 19-year-old ex-girlfriend, Khaliyah Jones. Authorities allege Hopkins abducted Jones at gunpoint from a Lovejoy Walmart and later fatally shot her after a high-speed chase that ended near Lovejoy High School.
At the time of the killing, Hopkins was out on bond for similar 2022 kidnapping charges after the Clayton County District Attorney’s Office missed Georgia’s 90-day deadline to secure an indictment. District Attorney Tasha Mosley acknowledged the oversight, calling it a mistake. Hopkins has pleaded not guilty to the 2022 charges and has not yet entered a formal plea in the 2023 murder case.
MOST RECENT STORY: Man accused of kidnapping, murdering 19-year-old ex-girlfriend in Fayette County denied bond by court
GWINNETT COUNTY
Vehicular homicide of Abigail Hernandez
The vehicular homicide of 4-year-old Abigail Hernandez could go to trial this year.
Hernandez was struck and killed in a parking lot at the Mall of Georgia. After public outcry, prosecutors charged Jacob Johnston with second-degree vehicular homicide and reckless conduct. No trial date has been announced, but proceedings are expected in 2026.
MOST RECENT STORY: Driver charged in crash that killed 4-year-old girl at Mall of Georgia
Beating death of Sayra Barros
The murder case against Natiela Barros remains pending.
Barros is accused of beating her 8-year-old stepdaughter, Sayra Barros, to death with a wooden rolling pin. Her husband, Sayra’s father, has already been convicted on child cruelty charges. Natiela Barros’ murder case has not yet been scheduled for trial but is expected to proceed in 2026.
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Deadly bus hijacking
Joseph Grier faces murder and kidnapping charges in connection with a 2024 shooting aboard a MARTA bus that led to a multi-county police chase.
Grier is accused of killing Earnest Byrd Jr. before hijacking the bus. Court hearings are ongoing, and a trial could be scheduled later this year.
MURRAY COUNTY
Homicide involving two brothers
A Murray County homicide case is expected to reach a jury in June.
Brothers Tykel Hutchinson and Edward Lawrence Jr. are charged with felony murder and aggravated assault in the August 2024 shooting death of Jeffrey Tyler Ray. Court officials say trial is expected either June 1 or June 15, with the presiding judge to be determined.
WHITFIELD COUNTY
Quadruple homicide at Dalton park
A quadruple homicide case is expected to go to trial this summer.
Andres Jared Guzman is charged in the August 2024 killings of four young men at Pleasant Grove Park in Dalton. Investigators believe the shooting began as an attempted robbery that escalated into a gunfight. The case is assigned to Judge Bert Poston, with a potential summer trial date.
MOST RECENT STORY: 2nd person arrested for fatal quadruple shooting in Dalton park last year
Domestic violence rape case – Skylor Burke
A serious domestic violence case involving rape and kidnapping is moving toward resolution in Whitfield County, with court proceedings expected to continue into 2026.
Skylor Newt Brice Burke is charged with multiple felony counts, including rape, kidnapping, aggravated sexual battery and aggravated assault (family violence). Prosecutors allege Burke sexually assaulted and unlawfully restrained his spouse over several days in October 2024, threatening her with a knife inside a Whitfield County residence. A trial is tentatively expected around March 23.
A second defendant, Erica Dawn Hedden, is charged with stalking and influencing a witness. Prosecutors allege she followed the victim and attempted to interfere with testimony. Court officials say the case is expected to move forward in 2026, though it is not yet clear whether it will go to trial.
Murder of homeless woman
Another Whitfield County homicide is expected to be tried later this year.
Fred Edward Sherman Jr. is charged in the August 2024 killing of Luz Divina Ramirez, who was found dead beneath a bridge in Dalton. Prosecutors allege Ramirez was struck with a concrete block and later concealed. A summer or fall trial is anticipated.
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