FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 29, 2026
On January 29, 2026, a Troup County Jury convicted JonThomas Oliver Cloud, now 32, of Columbus, Ga, for the offenses of Malice Murder, Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault, Possession Firearm During Commission of a Felony, and Tampering with Evidence. Senior Superior Court Judge Matthew Simmons presided over the trial which began Tuesday, January 27, 2026. Upon conviction, Judge Simmons sentenced the Defendant to Life without the Possibility of Parole followed by 5 years to serve in prison in the Department of Corrections.
Chief Deputy Assistant District Attorney Lara Todd and Assistant District Attorney Ashley Hall prosecuted the case, which was investigated by Captain Kelli Ellington of the Troup County Sheriff’s Office. The evidence presented at trial revealed the following:
On October 8, 2023, JonThomas Oliver Cloud and his mother, Teresa Stankiewicz arrived at West Georgia Medical Center with Andrew Stankiewicz, Teresa’s husband, in the passenger seat of their vehicle, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. The victim was taken into the Emergency Room where hospital personnel attempted CPR before he was pronounced dead. The autopsy later revealed that the victim had been shot three times in the back.
Investigators met with Cloud and his mother who advised they were driving back to Columbus, Georgia after picking the victim up from the Atlanta airport. Mrs. Stankiewicz told law enforcement she didn’t know how her husband was shot because she had left the vehicle to vomit on the side of the road. She said when she returned to the vehicle she saw two bullet holes in the windshield and found her husband shot in the passenger seat. When investigators arrived they discovered that the shots appeared to have been fired from the back of the vehicle through the victim’s seat.
When interviewed by Capt. Ellington, JonThomas Cloud confirmed that while driving home from the airport, after picking up his step-father, they had to pull over on I-185 South so his mother could vomit. Cloud stated that his mother was driving, the victim was in the front passenger seat, and Cloud was in the back seat. Cloud stated he got out of the vehicle to check on his mother and while caring for her a small sedan pulled up to check on them. Cloud stated a black couple got out of the sedan, approached the vehicle, began arguing with the victim. Cloud said he heard the sound like a glass bottle being run over, and then discovered that the victim shot after the sedan drove away.
When confronted with the physical evidence, Cloud admitted that he shot the victim, and he hid the Glock he used in the woods along the interstate before driving to the West Georgia Medical Center. Cloud tried to claim that he acted in self-defense and in defense of his mother but could not provide any specifics regarding threats or acts of violence committed by the victim.
After hearing the evidence, the jury took approximately thirty minutes to convict Cloud on all counts. In sentencing the Defendant, the Court stated, “I’m going to show you the same amount of mercy you showed the victim” and sentenced the Defendant to the longest penalty allowed by law.
The District Attorney’s Office is glad to see that justice was done in this case.
JOHN HERBERT CRANFORD, JR.
DISTRICT ATTORNEY
COWETA JUDICIAL CIRCUIT