Kemp names interim DA in Statesboro area after predecessor’s sudden death

Gov. Brian Kemp selected Jillian Gibson as acting district attorney in the Ogeechee Judicial District, which covers four counties in southeastern Georgia, after the elected official overseeing the office died of an apparent heart attack late last week.

Robert Busbee collapsed while working out at a gym, The Garage at Statesboro, on May 22 and was taken to the East Georgia Regional Medical Center, but died at 9:07 a.m., according to the Bulloch County Coroner’s Office.

Kemp named Busbee’s acting replacement, Gibson, who had been an assistant district attorney in the office, until he makes a final choice about who will complete the rest of Busbee’s four-year term in the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit. Busbee took office in January 2025.

Gibson had been Busbee’s chief ADA and ran the major crimes division of the office, according to an earlier statement about her appointment.

The Ogeechee Circuit includes Bulloch, Effingham, Jenkins and Screven counties.

The Ogeechee Circuit district attorney’s office described Busbee’s death as a “tragedy” in a written statement on Tuesday.

“As we move through this difficult transition, our office remains committed to honoring both his legacy and the work he cared so deeply about,” the office wrote in the statement.

The DA’s office said the “outpouring of love” following Busbee’s death as “overwhelming in the best way possible.”

They asked for prayers and support for Busbee’s wife Erika and their three young children. Before becoming district attorney, Busbee operated his own law practice in Statesboro.

Bulloch County Coroner Chuck Francis recalled running for office alongside Busbee in 2024 and described him as an “all-round good guy.”

“He was a running mate of mine, he just wanted to come in and do it right,” Francis said.

Francis said Statesboro was still in shock over Busbee’s death.