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2 charged with murder in Walton County
Body found in shallow grave; Newton Sheriff's Office helps in case
Chapman Addresses the Media
Walton County Sheriff Joe Chapman, right, addresses the media during a news conference Friday, April 6, 2018, outside the Franklin Thornton Law Enforcement Center in Monroe, Ga. Looking on is Mike Ayers, a special agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. - photo by Cosby Woodruff
David Clemons
Updated: Apr 7, 2018, 9:41 PM
Published: Apr 7, 2018, 9:40 PM

MONROE, Ga. — Two men were charged with murder after a body was found near a Loganville-area home.

The Walton County Sheriff’s Office announced the charges late Friday in a case that involved the cooperation of numerous federal, state and local law enforcement agencies including the Newton County Sheriff’s Office.

Jonathan Britt Lester and Kolbie Hadden Watters, both 21, were charged with felony murder and aggravated assault.

Roger Gene Watters, 44, was charged with tampering with evidence.

Walton County Sheriff Joe Chapman has refused to release the identity of the victim until the body is identified by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Asheville, North Carolina, police arrested Lester and said his address was 5999 Walker Bennett Road, Loganville, the same place police found the body wrapped in an opaque material and placed in a shallow grave Friday morning.

Chapman said the Sheriff’s Office received a missing-persons report last month and Capt. Kirk McLeroy soon become suspicious foul play may have been involved.

Roger Watters is the former owner of Sycamore Street Pizzeria in Social Circle. He was arrested in September 2016, days after he was shot in an after-hours altercation in the restaurant and charged with five counts of aggravated assault and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

He closed the restaurant shortly thereafter.

Participating in the investigation were the FBI; Secret Service; Drug Enforcement Agency; Georgia State Patrol; Barrow, Clarke, Elbert, Madison, Morgan, Newton, Oconee and Walton county sheriff’s offices and police in Social Circle and Asheville.

Walton Tribune Managing Editor Cosby Woodruff contributed to this report.
Newton County jury finds Covington man guilty of felony murder
Shane Robinson
Shane Robinson - photo by Courtesy of the Newton County Sheriff's Office
Kate Verity
Published: Mar 31, 2025, 9:15 PM

NEWTON COUNTY – On Monday afternoon, 30-year-old Shane Alexander Robinson of Covington was found guilty of killing Charles Edward Stanley III over three years ago.

The Newton County District Attorney’s Office released that a jury deemed that Robinson was guilty on three charges: Felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

On March 5, 2022, sometime between 11 p.m. and midnight, Robinson shot an AR-style firearm at a vehicle that Stanley was driving along Harvey Wood Drive. According to the District Attorney’s release, Robinson fired the weapon 13 times into the vehicle, killing Stanley.

According to a previous report by The Covington News, an arrest warrant stated that Robinson “grabbed his AR-15 (rifle) and drove” from his home to Harvey Wood Drive to “scare” Stanley.

“When Charles was backing up, Shane admitted to firing several rounds at the vehicle,” the 2022 warrant stated. “Furthermore, Shane also initially stated that he fired rounds at the vehicle as it was driving away.”

Robinson initially faced charges of murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, unauthorized discharge of firearms within 50 yards of the public highway, and reckless conduct. It is not clear if some of these charges were dismissed.

Sentencing is set for a later date, which has not been announced. A co-defendant’s case is still pending.