Emanuel Co. woman charged in 2022 Swainsboro resident’s murder receives life sentence
EMANUEL COUNTY, Ga. (WJBF) – An Emanuel County woman who was found guilty for the 2022 murder of a Swainsboro resident has been sentenced to life with a possibility of parole.
According to District Attorney Tripp Fitzner, the District Attorney for the Middle Judicial Circuit of Georgia, an Emanuel County jury convicted Peggy Milton on Wednesday, April 10th, of the 2022 felony murder of Swainsboro resident 31-year-old Nicholas Jovantay Hall.
Milton, a resident of Twin City, was 34 years old at the time of the shooting.
According to authorities, Emanuel County 911 received a call of a male being shot on Stokes Street in Twin City, GA, in an area on the edge of town near the Twin City Cemetery, on July 9th, 2022, around 9 P.M.
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Authorities say upon their arrival, they found that Hall had been shot once. Upon the coroner’s arrival shortly after, Hall was pronounced dead and Milton was arrested at the scene.
According to Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office, Hall and Milton were playing cards with others at a private residence in Twin City – at the time, Hall and Milton were in a relationship with one another.
During their investigation, Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office were told that Milton accused Hall of cheating and left the game to go out to her vehicle parked in the front yard of the residence.
Hall followed her, according to Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office, asking her to give him the cigarettes she had. While inside her car, Milton retrieved a firearm and turned to go back inside the residence. Hall continued to follow, asking for the cigarettes Milton had.
The case against Milton alleged that, once Milton reached the front of the residence, she turned to face Hall, who was still following her, raised the firearm, and fired a single shot, which struck Hall in the head.
At the time of her arrest immediately following the shooting, Milton was charged with Murder and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony.
According to the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, offenders who receive a life sentence for a serious violent crime on or after July 1st, 2006, will not be considered for parole until they have served 30 years – that means Milton will be in her 60s before she is eligible for parole.
Milton’s life sentence will require her to complete five years of probation once she is released, according to Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office.
On his Office’s social media page, D.A. Fitzner wrote Wednesday, “Today, an Emanuel County jury convicted Peggy Milton of the 2022 felony murder of Nicholas Hall in Twin City. The defendant was sentenced to life with parole by [Chief Judge Robert S.] Reeves.”
D.A Fitzner went on to thank Sheriff Jeff Brewer and the Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office “for all of their work in the investigation of this case,” as well as Assistant District Attorney Aaron Palmer “for his hard work in both preparing for and trying this case.”
D.A. Fitzner closed his online remarks with best wishes for the family of Hall, saying, “While nothing our court system can do will bring Nick back, we hope this brings closure to his family.”
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