Lilburn man charged in Mercer law grad death to face death penalty
Prosecutors will seek the death penalty against a Lilburn man charged with murder in the grisly death of a fellow Mercer University law school graduate.
Prosecutors formally notified Stephen McDaniel at a hearing in Macon on Wednesday. He is set to be arraigned Feb. 7, according to the Macon Telegraph.
McDaniel, 26, is accused of killing Lauren Giddings, 27, a recent graduate of Mercer University's law school, who was last seen after a night out with friends on June 25. Five days later, police discovered her torso wrapped in plastic in a garbage bin beside her apartment building across the street from the university. McDaniel was a next-door neighbor of Giddings, who also attended Agnes Scott College in Decatur.
McDaniel's attorneys, Franklin J. Hogue and Floyd Buford, said they plan to challenge the makeup of the grand jury that indicted his client. They declined comment after the hearing, according to the Macon newspaper.
About the Author
Fran Jeffries is a Newsletter Producer. She joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2005 as an Education Editor. She worked as a Breaking News Editor and Social Media Producer before joining the Newsletter team.
