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Ramoutar pleads guilty in middle of murder trial, sentenced to life
Elijah Ramoutar
Elijah Ramoutar
Staff Report
Updated: Jun 6, 2019, 11:37 AM
Published: Jun 6, 2019, 11:35 AM

COVINGTON, Ga. - A Covington man pleaded guilty in the middle of trial Wednesday to the December 2016 strangulation murder of a 19-year-old woman he was dating. 

Ramoutar

On Dec. 6, 2016, deputies with the Newton County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence on White Birch Drive where they found the Defendant, Elijah Ramoutar, behind the residence. Deputies entered the residence and found Alyssa Wright deceased inside. 

Both  Ramoutar and Wright were 19 years old at the time. 

According to a statement from the Newton County District Attorneys Office, Ramoutar had contacted a family member and stated he had killed his girlfriend. His family then contacted 911 which led to the deputies going to the residence. Ramoutar also made statements to law enforcement that he killed Wright. 

An autopsy by a medical examiner with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations determined Wright died from strangulation. 

Jury selection began Monday and in the middle of the State’s sixth witness, Ramoutar indicated he wanted to plead guilty to all the charges against him,  malice murder, felony murder and aggravated assault.

After accepting the guilty plea, Alcovy Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Samuel Ozburn sentenced Ramoutar to life in prison. 

The case was prosecuted by Senior District Attorney Jacqueline Fletcher, Assistant District Attorney Alex Stone, Investigator Beau Alexander, Victim Services Director Leslie Smith and Legal Assistant Sheila Cornelius. 

The Newton County Sheriff’s Office handled the investigation and arrest.

Ramoutar was represented by Attorneys Bruce S. Harvey and Kimberly Cornwell.
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.