Austell Teen Pleads Guilty to Powder Springs Double Murder

MARIETTA, GA -- An Austell teenager has pleaded guilty to a 2014 double murder he committed when he was just 14 years old.

Jaydon Lee Reid, now 17, acknowledged that he shot and killed Sterling Hargrave, 21, and Terrance Banks, 23, both of Powder Springs, at Wild Horse Creek Park in Powder Springs. One victim was found inside a vehicle, and the other victim was just outside the vehicle.

Evidence indicated the shooter was in the backseat of the car. The shootings may have resulted from an armed robbery and a drug dispute.

Reid, who had an extensive juvenile record and an association with Ham Squad, a Powder Springs-based street gang, was seen with the two victims in the days before the killings.

On the evening of March 16, 2014, a woman who lives near the park called 911 and reported hearing gunshots. One Cobb County Police officer responded to the park and found the two victims deceased. Another officer responded to the neighborhood and saw Reid walking out of a woodline. Reid tossed a 9mm handgun and a bag of marijuana, then ran back toward the park, where he was cornered by officers and ultimately taken into custody.

Ballistics analysis linked the firearm to shell casings recovered near the bodies, and touch DNA analysis also found Reid’s DNA on the weapon. In addition, victim Terrance Banks’ DNA was found on two articles of Reid’s clothing.

Marietta attorney Jimmy Berry, who represented Reid, insisted his client was a young man who got mixed up with the wrong folks early in life, but who had expressed remorse for the crimes.

Cobb Superior Court Judge Ann Harris sentenced him to two life sentences plus 15 years, all to run concurrently. Reid must serve 30 years before being eligible for parole consideration, though he will get credit for the two years he has been in custody since the killings.