Jerry L. Gay

VALDOSTA — A man indicted for a deadly 2013 shooting death has been re-indicted following the intervention of an appeals court, according to the district attorney.

Jerry L. Gay, 24, was originally indicted by the Lowndes County Grand Jury in 2014 for malice murder and armed robbery, according to court records. His re-indictment came during the jury’s September term.

In June 2015, Gay pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter and armed robbery, said District Attorney Brad Shealy.

“After the guilty plea hearing but before sentencing, trial counsel realized that the trial court had omitted the potential of a life sentence in describing the sentencing range for armed robbery,” court records show.

At his sentencing, he tried to withdraw his guilty plea but was denied, getting a 20-year prison term for voluntary manslaughter and a life sentence for armed robbery, according to court of appeals documents.

An appeals court said Gay should have been allowed to withdraw the plea, the district attorney said. “We had to go back to the grand jury and get indictments for malice murder and armed robbery again,” he said.

On Aug. 12, 2013, Tawnya Kinslow, 42, was found shot to death in her 800 block Baytree Road residence, according to reports. The original grand jury indictment stems from reports Kinslow was shot during the theft of her Xbox gaming system on Aug. 10, stated court documents.

Twelve days later, Valdosta police responded to a call regarding a dispute with an armed man. After police arrived on scene, Gay fled but was arrested after a short foot chase, reports stated.

Ballistics tests conducted on Gay’s firearm identified it as the gun used to kill Kinslow, said Valdosta Police Chief Brian Childress.

The trial date has not been set yet, Shealy said.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.