Family reacts to Karlton Sirmons guilty verdict: 'This monster should not have been free'
Villa Rica home killer gets life without parole
Judge Warren sentenced Carlton Sirmans to life without parole for the 2024 murder of Tavaris Joyner. The ruling comes after a jury found Sirmans guilty on all 21 counts following a violent home invasion in Villa Rica.
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. - A jury found Karlton Sirmons guilty on all 21 counts, including malice murder, before a judge sentenced him to life without parole for a deadly November 2024 Villa Rica home invasion.
PREVIOUS STORY: Trial opens in deadly Villa Rica home invasion shooting
What we know:
Sirmons was convicted in the Nov. 2, 2024, killing of 32-year-old Tavarus "T-Bone" Joiner. Joiner's cousin, Jacquenetta Joiner, survived the shooting.
A jury deliberated for three and a half hours over two days before returning guilty verdicts on all 21 counts against Karlton Sirmons, including malice murder and felony murder.
The conviction and life sentence come four years after a jury acquitted Sirmons in a separate Gwinnett County double murder case.
RELATED STORY: Deadly Villa Rica home invasion trial: ‘He did not give a damn’
What happened the night of the shooting
The backstory:
In November 2024, Sirmons kicked in the door of a Villa Rica home looking for his girlfriend, Jacquanette Joiner, who was staying with her cousin to get away from him following a tumultuous relationship.
Sirmons shot Joiner eight times, killed her cousin Tavarus Joiner, killed Tavarus' partner, and pistol-whipped their son.
During the trial, Villa Rica police Officer Deborah Williams walked jurors through body camera video recorded as officers responded to the home.
Williams testified that officers arrived to find the front door kicked in and heard a woman screaming from an upstairs window. Inside, officers found multiple victims, including one person hiding in a closet.
Tavarus Joiner was found in his bedroom and died from his injuries. Jacquenetta Joiner was wounded but survived.
EARLIER STORY: Norcross man accused of killing Villa Rica homeowner in early morning attack
Karlton Sirmons sits in court. FOX 5 Atlanta photo
Family members said Jacquenetta had been staying at her cousin's home to get away from Sirmons.
Investigators told jurors they recovered seven shell casings and a firearm from a bathroom sink. Police body camera video played during the trial also showed a surviving victim identifying Sirmons as the gunman.
Family court reactions
What we don't know:
Court officials have not specified the total exact number of consecutive years added to the life sentence without parole, though Judge Deah Warren confirmed Sirmons will never leave prison.
What they're saying:
"Ecstatic. They got it right," said James Joiner, Tavarus Joiner's uncle, following the verdict. During the sentencing hearing, Krisna Chea, Tavarus Joiner's surviving partner, addressed Sirmons directly: "You took someone from us who would do anything for his family. Did he even show no signs of mercy? My children would never hurt their father."
Judge Deah Warren also condemned the attack during sentencing: "It was a bit unfathomable to me that someone could flick this type of terror on a family just because their feelings were hurt, just because they were rejected. I think it's appropriate to give you every day that I can give you."
Reacting to the final outcome, James Joiner added: "Perfect. Absolutely right. This man, this monster should not have been free to inflict pain on anybody."
Previous murder case
Dig deeper:
Sirmons was previously tried in a separate Gwinnett County double-murder case stemming from killings in 2019. He was acquitted in that case in 2022.
Jurors in the Villa Rica case were not informed about the previous prosecution.
The 2019 killings occurred on Nov. 2 — exactly five years before the Villa Rica home invasion that led to Sirmons' latest murder convictions.