D.A. MARIE BRODER ON SHOOTING DEATH TRIAL

 Earlier this month, a Spalding County jury has convicted James Lee Evans, Jr. in the death of four year old Mason Piercy. The verdict followed a week long trial in which the State presented evidence that Evans, along with Mason’s mother, Jamacia Lyons, allowed Mason and his two year old brother, Chance, to play in an area at the foot of the bed knowing an AR-15 was pointing in his direction. The jury heard evidence that Evans called Mason up onto the bed and as he climbed down, he was shot in the hand and the abdomen.

In the moments after Mason was shot, Evans fled the scene with the AR-15 and ran down a well traveled path behind the Appleton Apartment complex located at 1110 West Poplar Street in Griffin and hid the AR-15 under a mattress and box spring on the path, still loaded and the safety still in the off position. Evans a known member of the Rollin 20’s Neighborhood Bloods Zoo Krew, an active and violent subset of the criminal street gang, told officers that Mason was the victim of a drive-by shooting in which Evans was the likely target. Evans sent law enforcement on a wild goose chase all over the local area in an intense search for non-existent shooters, even going so far as to name specific Crips from the east side of Griffin as potential suspects.

Evans later confessed that the shooting happened inside of the apartment he shared with his mother and told police he where he had hidden the gun. Officers later recovered the gun and determined that it was stolen in a burglary in September 2021. Ballistics testing confirmed that not only was it the weapon that killed Mason, but it had been used in multiple gang related drive by shootings in the Griffin area in the months prior to Mason’s death.

The State initially charged Evans and Lyons with Homicide in the Second Degree, two counts of Cruelty to Children in the Second Degree, Reckless Conduct, and lying to police. Evans was also charged with various other charges related to his gang membership and the possession of the gun. Prior to trial, Lyons agreed to testify against Evans and entered a non-negotiated plea to the reduced charge of Involuntary Manslaughter. After trial, the jury found Evans guilty of Involuntary Manslaughter as well as other charges. In a hearing after the verdict,

Judge Scott Ballard sentenced Evans to ten years to serve in the Department of Corrections, followed by ten years on probation. In a separate sentencing hearing, Judge Ballard sentenced Jamacia Lyons to ten years probation under the First Offender Act.

Regarding the case, District Attorney Marie Broder expressed her deep sorrow over the senseless loss of Mason Piercy, a tragedy that was completely preventable with the flip of a simple safety switch. “The hardest part of this case was the unknown. Who would Mason have been? What would he have done? We’ll never know, because he never had the chance to show us.” She expressed her sincere thanks to those who fought for Mason, starting with emergency personnel on scene, law enforcement, and medical personnel.

This case was investigated by Investigator Anadia Ruiz of the Griffin Police Department and was prosecuted by Senior ADA Kathryn Lenhard and ADA Monique Harris. Mason’s story will stay with them long after Evans is released from prison.