ATLANTA – A Newton County man saw his life sentence upheld in court Tuesday morning.

On June 11, the Newton County District Attorney’s (DA) office announced that the Supreme Court of Georgia upheld the life sentence of convicted murderer James Hill.

This affirmation comes almost five years after Hill was found guilty of killing his girlfriend Kelly Marshall on July 18, 2019.

On Aug. 12, 2017, Marshall was found deceased under the bridge on Mt. Tabor Road next to the Yellow River in Newton County. According to the DA’s office, Marshall was found “strangled to death and beaten.”

Hill was then taken into questioning where he “lied” about his whereabouts at the time of the murder. It was also indicated to jury members that Hill had a violent tendency toward Marshall.

During his 2024 appeal, Hill argued that the evidence presented was “insufficient” to convict him. Hill also cited issues with his trial counsel as well as jurors. He requested that a mistrial be granted.

The Supreme Court rejected those claims and promptly upheld the conviction and subsequent life sentence.

Handling the appeal in this case was chief assistant district attorney Amber Dally.