DeKalb County man sentenced to life for violent home invasion

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Jimmy David Mills was arrested after police say he entered a home, confronted a showering woman, and then stabbed her husband multiple times. (Brookhaven Police Department) 

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A DeKalb County man will spend the rest of his life in prison after officials say he broke into a Brookhaven couple's home, confronted a woman who was showering, and then stabbed her husband.

Last week, a jury found 60-year-old Jimmy David Mills guilty of first-degree home invasion, aggravated assault, possession of a knife during the commission of certain felonies, and criminal trespass.

What we know:

Prosecutors say the charges stem from a home invasion on the 1600 block of North Druid Hills Drive on the afternoon of Sept. 17, 2020.

According to officials, the woman had just put her baby down for a nap and had gone to take a shower when she got a notification that someone had opened the home's back door. When she called out for them not to come into the bathroom, Mills reportedly entered the room and asked her if she was alone.

The woman started screaming, alerting her husband who was wearing noise-canceling headphones while working in the office. When he confronted Mills, officials say the man stabbed him in the face and stomach. 

Man accused of stabbing homeowner during home invasion

Brookhaven police arrested the man suspected of breaking into a couple's home while one person was in the shower.

After fleeing from the scene, Mills reportedly rang the doorbell at a home down the street and asked to use the bathroom. The woman inside that home refused when she saw blood on his chest.

Officers eventually arrested Mills after a passerby told them they saw a man jump over a wall on Lenox Park Boulevard. At the time of his arrest, Mills was still holding the bloody shirt.

What they're saying:

After the arrest, a spokesperson for the Brookhaven Police Department described the home invasion as "truly the stuff nightmares are made of."

Investigators say this is not the first time Mills has committed a home invasion. In 2015, Mills broke into a condo with a knife and assaulted two women less than a mile away from where the 2020 home invasion happened.

"He was armed with a knife, assaulted those women, then fled into the woods," the police spokesperson told FOX 5.

What's next:

Following the guilty verdicts, a DeKalb County Superior Court judge sentenced Mills to life in prison plus 26 years to serve consecutively.