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VIDEO: Mother faces judge for first appearance in baby's death
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Jennifer Bellah, 31, made her first appearance in a Newton County courtroom Thursday morning after her arrest Tuesday night in the shooting death of her 2-year-old daughter, Natalya. Flanked by attorney Anthony Carter of the Newton County Public Defender’s Office and Sgt. Freeman Moody of the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, Bellah listened as Magistrate Court Judge Melanie Bell explained her charges. - photo by Darryl Welch
Jackie Gutknecht
Published: Aug 30, 2018, 1:05 PM

See related:

Mother charged with murder in death of 2-year-old

Child reported dead in Oxford, mother detained

COVINGTON, Ga. - Dressed in a Newton County Sheriff's Office-issued suicide suit, Jennifer Michelle Bellah was in front of Alcovy Judicial Circuit Chief Magistrate Judge Melanie Bell Thursday morning in the Newton County Jail courtroom. Bellah is represented by Anthony Carter, chief public defender for the Alcovy Judicial Circuit.

Bell presented Bellah with her charges, which include murder, aggravated assault - family violence, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and pointing a pistol at another. Bell said she did not have the authority to grant bond in the case. 

Bellah's case will be presented to the Newton County Grand Jury, a process that Bell said could take up to 90 days. 

First appearance of Jennifer Bellah

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According to a news release from the Newton County Sheriff's Office, Bellah is charged with the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Natalya Bellah, after an incident at the 65 Brown Thrasher Run home in Oxford Tuesday evening. 

Bellah reportedly called 911 Tuesday evening to report she had shot her daughter. Newton County Coroner Tommy Davis pronounced her dead on the scene.

The body of Natalya Bellah was transported to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations Medical Examiner's Office for the autopsy. 

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The Covington News will continue to update this story as information is received. 

Staff Writer Darryl Welch contributed to this report.
Authorities release identities from Friday morning shootings
All four worked at Walmart; suspect in custody
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The Salem Road Walmart was closed to the public on Friday following the early morning shooting spree. - photo by Evan Newton
Kate Verity
Updated: Apr 11, 2025, 8:44 PM
Published: Apr 11, 2025, 8:05 PM

The Newton County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) held a press conference on Friday afternoon identifying the suspect and victims from the Friday morning attacks.

According to the NCSO, 21-year-old Khalaf Barksdale of Conyers was the first man killed inside the Walmart on Salem Road. Then 20-year-old Ryan Bradley of Covington was shot and injured. While it was originally believed Bradley was shot in the parking lot, the NCSO confirmed he was shot inside the actual store.

The third victim, who was shot in a residence on Emerson Trail, was confirmed by the NCSO to be 19-year-old Akeela Clarke of Covington. 

Bradley was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. He is now listed as stable, according to the NCSO.

Barksdale and Clarke were pronounced deceased at each respective scene.


The suspected shooter is 24-year-old Dwayne Eduh of Covington. 

Following the three attacks, Eduh fled east on I-20. The NCSO, assisted by the Georgia State Patrol, requested further assistance from the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office and South Carolina State Troopers.

According to a press release from the Aiken County Sheriff's Office, they entered into a “brief standoff” with Eduh at 3:55 a.m., after which Eduh shot himself. No deputies were injured.

Eduh remains in critical condition at a hospital in Augusta. The NCSO was unable to say where Eduh administered the self-inflicted shot. 

The NCSO also corrected a previous finding where it was believed that the first victim was shot and killed inside the Walmart and the second victim was shot and injured in the store’s parking lot.

All four people involved worked at the Salem Road Walmart.

Clarke’s family members were at the NCSO’s news conference. They alleged that it took authorities nearly half an hour to respond to their 911 call.

“So it took 29 minutes to leave from Walmart a mile away to go to 345 Emerson Trail, my house,” said Samantha Clarke, who lived with Akeela. “Twenty-nine minutes it took you guys to come to my house. It's actually 29 odd minutes because I called and my daughter called, she was on the phone for 29 minutes.”

NCSO Public Information Officer and Sergeant Jack Redlinger, who spoke at the conference, said the office’s response time would be looked into.

“We are not familiar with that, but we will check into that with 911 and find out exactly how many minutes,” Redlinger said.

The NCSO was unable to comment on the motive or the victims’ relationship with one another and their attackers, saying they can only confirm them to have been “acquaintances” as of now.

“We don't know [the] motive at this time,” Redlinger said. “All I know is that they were acquaintances and they all worked here at Walmart.”

What led to Eduh’s attacks remains unclear. The investigation remains active. 

The Walmart on Salem Road is closed for the remainder of today.

The original reports associated with this story are located here.