'He did not give a damn': Prosecutors summarize case before jury deliberates
Villa Rica home invasion trial goes to the jury
A GBI doctor testified about autopsy findings before the jury began deliberating the Villa Rica home invasion murder case.
DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. - Jurors deliberated for just over an hour Monday before going home for the day.
A Douglas County jury heard closing arguments and medical testimony surrounding the fatal shooting of Tavarus Joiner, who was killed when a gunman kicked in a home's front door at 6:05 a.m.
Medical examiner torso findings
What we know:
Dr. Kari Broader, a pathologist with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, testified about performing the autopsy on Joyner on Nov. 5, 2024.
She identified two penetrating gunshot wounds—one to the left chest and one to the right back—and recovered both bullets inside the body.
Broader stated that the chest projectile passed through Joyner's left lung, heart and aorta, causing 275 milliliters of blood to fill the sac around his heart.
What we don't know:
The trial testimony did not state the specific model of gun owned by Joyner that he was attempting to retrieve before falling.
Gunshot path details
The backstory:
Broader explained to jurors that the heart can only pump against about 120 milliliters of fluid before failing.
Additionally, 1.3 liters of blood pooled in Joyner's left chest cavity, preventing his lung from expanding.
Broader noted that while the heart injury was devastating, death was not instantaneous, leaving Joyner with brief backup oxygen for purposeful movement.
Through a back dissection, Broader recovered the second bullet lodged in the spine next to the spinal cord, which caused internal bleeding within the spinal canal.
By the numbers:
Broader noted a bruise on the front-left scalp, indicating Joyner fell around the time of death.
She confirmed full-body X-rays taken prior to the exam revealed both internal bullets and showed the blood-filled left lung as gray compared to the black-and-white image of the right lung.
Broader concluded the official cause of death was gunshot wounds of the torso, with the heart wound causing the most severe damage.
Defense memory arguments
The other side:
Defense attorney Christy Draper argued that key state witnesses suffered from confabulation, adopting false stories as genuine firsthand facts.
Draper attacked surviving victim Jacquenette Joiner's credibility, telling jurors she lied to medical personnel about an eye injury from a fight the night before the shooting.
She argued that unverified stories spread to household witnesses, creating inconsistent statements about the intruder's clothing and the weapon's appearance.
Draper also highlighted the lack of physical evidence, noting that investigators recovered no fingerprints, no DNA matching, and no murder weapon.
What they're saying:
Chief Assistant District Attorney Kevin McMurry rejected the defense claims, accusing them of gaslighting the jury regarding the 6:05 a.m. timeline.
McMurry emphasized that phone records showed an incoming call from Sirmons' number right before the front door was kicked open.
He pointed out that license plate readers spotted Sirmons' car near the scene at 6 a.m., and cellular data mapped his phone to the immediate area.
Prosecutor case summary
What's next:
McMurry detailed how the gunman breached three doors, pistol-whipped a 5-year-old child and shot Jacquenetta Joiner eight times and another victim, Krisna Chea, in the leg. He noted that victims identified Sirmons as the shooter and that Joyner tried to reach a weapon to protect the household.
Assistant District Attorney Nelly Ndounteng told jurors that Sirmons showed no regard for human life during the rampage. " He did not give a damn." The case was handed over to the jury to deliberate on the multi-count indictment.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from testimony given by GBI pathologist Dr. Kari Broader, defense arguments by attorney Christy Draper, and prosecution statements from Chief Assistant District Attorney Kevin McMurry and Assistant District Attorney Nelly Ndounteng during court proceedings.