Karlton Sirmons found guilty in deadly Villa Rica home invasion
Karlton Sirmons sits in court. FOX 5 Atlanta photo
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. - A jury has found Karlton Sirmons guilty of malice murder and felony murder in a deadly 2024 home invasion in Villa Rica.
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.
Sentencing for Sirmons will take place later today.
RELATED STORY: Deadly Villa Rica home invasion trial: ‘He did not give a damn’
What happened the night of the shooting
The backstory:
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
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.
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.