Type to search

Woman sentenced to life for shooting man in Stone Mountain apartment

Stone Mountain

Woman sentenced to life for shooting man in Stone Mountain apartment

A map of DeKalb County, GA. Image obtained via Google Maps
Share

Stone Mountain, GA — The DeKalb County District attorney’s office on March 18 announced the conviction and sentencing of a Stone Mountain woman who shot and killed a man staying with her roommate.

Christine Montgomery, 35, was convicted on charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. She shot and killed 23-year-old Justice Jackson following a dispute over allegedly stolen marijuana.

The shooting happened on May 17 in an apartment complex on Wood Bend Drive in Stone Mountain. Montgomery lived there with her child and a roommate, the District Attorney’s Office said.

“Victim Jackson occasionally stayed with the roommate, who rented a room from the defendant,” the District Attorney’s Office said. “According to the investigation, Defendant Montgomery returned to her apartment around 4 a.m. with a group of acquaintances and her child. When she arrived, she accused her roommate, the victim and a mutual friend who was also in the apartment of stealing her marijuana, and ordered them to leave. After exiting the apartment, the roommate realized she had lost her cell phone. The group returned to search for the item, which angered Defendant Montgomery. She retrieved her gun, walked outside, and shot Jackson once in the chest. The victim fell to the ground, pulled out his weapon and fired. His shot did not hit anyone. The roommate and friend attempted to find a neighbor to call 911. The acquaintances who came to the apartment with the defendant fled. Montgomery returned to her apartment and locked the door. Jackson was transported to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

“When police arrived, Defendant Montgomery refused to answer the door. A few hours later, they forced entry into the apartment and found her with her child. She claimed that she kicked the roommate, victim and friend out after they stole money from her, and that she heard several shots when she closed the door.”

She was sentenced to life in prison plus five years.

“The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Allison Layton, with assistance from Senior ADA Andrew Turner, DA Investigator Matthew McClendon, and Victim Advocate Desiree Livingston,” the District Attorney’s Office said. “Detective B. Smith of the DeKalb County Police Department led the initial investigation.”

The Tucker Observer is a community news website owned by Decaturish.comWe provide locally sourced news about Tucker, Clarkston and Stone Mountain.

For more Tucker news, follow us on Facebook by clicking here. Follow us on Twitter by clicking here

Want the latest news from the Tucker Observer delivered to your inbox every morning? Click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter. 

To become a paying supporter of Tucker Observer, click here