A Cherokee County man who shot and killed his girlfriend, then attempted to frame her death as a suicide, has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges Wednesday.
Jesse Lamar Simmons, 43, of Canton, entered a negotiated guilty plea on charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, violation of the Georgia Controlled Substances Act and tampering with evidence, Cherokee District Attorney Shannon Wallace said.
After shooting 55-year-old Tammy Gilbert, Simmons called 911 to report a suicide attempt. As he waited for police to respond, Simmons did not try to provide first aid to his mortally wounded girlfriend.
Credit: Family Photo
Credit: Family Photo
Cherokee sheriff’s deputies responded to the couple’s apartment in Waleska on Jan. 5, 2019, Wallace said. At the scene, they found Gilbert with a gunshot wound to the chest and a graze wound on her arm. Gilbert was alive when deputies arrived but died after being taken to the hospital.
At first, Simmons stuck to his story of suicide, telling investigators that Gilbert had been depressed and attempted to kill herself before, according to Wallace. He said the two had argued, which led Gilbert to shoot herself.
Later, Wallace said, Simmons changed his story and said the gun had misfired. He eventually admitted to shooting her after she yelled at him to “get out.” In the course of the investigation, detectives found a pipe used for methamphetamine at the couple’s home and Simmons tested positive for meth, leading to the drug charges.
According to the prosecutor, Cherokee Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Rachel Ashe, the day of Gilbert’s death was supposed to be “one of the happiest days of Tammy’s life.”
On that January day, Gilbert celebrated her daughter’s wedding and had planned to leave her abusive relationship with Simmons, Ashe said. Though it would not impact sentencing after Simmons’ negotiated guilty plea, Gilbert’s family gave statements about the victim’s death.
“It was heartbreaking to hear this family describe a life without their mother, sister, grandmother during the plea hearing,” Wallace said. “While his guilty plea will not bring back their loved one, our hope is that this sentence will bring some closure.”
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