Monroe County man gets life for stabbing roommate 20 times

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Triston James Sexton mugshot (Photo Credit: Cherokee Sheriff's Office)

CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. - Triston James Sexton, 27, was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to a 2024 murder at a Woodstock apartment complex.

Under the negotiated plea, Sexton must serve a minimum of 30 years before becoming eligible for parole, followed by five years of probation, and is permanently barred from entering Cherokee County.

What we know:

Just after 4 a.m. on Sept. 19, 2024, Woodstock Police responded to a stabbing at apartments in the Towne Lake area. Officers found 55-year-old David Courtney Phelps suffering from approximately 20 stab wounds to his heart and lungs while lying in his bed. Phelps later died at a local hospital.

Officers found Sexton outside the apartment building near a blood-stained chef's knife on a bench, which investigators later confirmed was the murder weapon. Sexton and Phelps were roommates in a sober living program and had lived together for about a month. Phelps was scheduled to graduate and leave the program later that week. 

Apartment surveillance video showed Sexton pacing the living room in the early morning hours before leaving briefly and returning with the knife. The three other occupants in the apartment woke up to Phelps' screams and found Sexton standing over him with the weapon. 

Stabing Victim, David Courtney Phelps (Photo Credit: Cherokee County District Attorney's Office)

What we don't know:

The defense argued that mental illness played a major role in the attack, noting roommates reported Sexton showed increasingly erratic behavior and stopped taking his prescribed medication. However, prosecutors countered that his actions showed deliberate intent rather than an impulsive episode, leaving the exact psychological trigger unclear. 

What they're saying:

"This should have been a week ending in celebration for David as he transitioned to his next chapter of sober living," District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway said. "This sentence reflects the brutality of the defendant’s actions and ensures that he will not be free to inflict harm on another innocent person again." 

Four of Phelps' family members spoke at the hearing, describing him as having an infectious and loving personality while expressing the deep loss of their loved one.