On September 9, 2024, Timothy Leon Washington, 39 years old, of Newnan, pleaded guilty to several charges, including Attempted Murder, and was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Travis Sakrison to 45 years in prison. The 13-count indictment, which also included multiple counts of Aggravated Battery, Aggravated Assault, and Possession of a Firearm as a Felon and During the Commission of a Felony, charged Washington with shooting his girlfriend multiple times on the May 11, 2022. The victim was shot in the jaw and abdomen, and was paralyzed from the waist down as a result. She appeared at Washington’s sentencing in her wheelchair, but declined to address the Court.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Scott Teague and was investigated by Coweta County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Chris Stapler.
In May 2022, Washington and the victim were living in a motel on Highway 29 in Coweta County. Both previously had been residing in a substance abuse facility, but relapsed in April 2022. On the night of the shooting, May 11, Washington entered the motel room around midnight and opened fire on the victim. A neighboring resident heard the shots and the victim’s cries for help and instructed the front desk clerk to call 911. Surveillance video showed Washington enter and exit the room where the victim was found bleeding from three gunshots wounds.
Law enforcement located Washington at a nearby motel and engaged him in a lengthy standoff that concluded with Washington’s peaceful surrender. Along the path between the two motels, law enforcement found a pistol matching the caliber of firearm used to shoot the victim. They noted that the pistol had jammed, which is likely to have prevented the victim’s murder.
While crimes committed by Washington are all parole eligible, the District Attorney’s desire is that Washington serve every day of his 45-year sentence. This act of violence has left this victim paralyzed for the rest of her life and if Washington had his way, he would have kept firing until he killed the victim. The District Attorney’s Office charged Washington with the most serious offenses possible and the Court gave him a maximum sentence. Justice demands that Washington serve the entirety of his 45-year sentence so his victim can have some peace knowing he cannot harm her again.
John H. Cranford Jr.
District Attorney
Coweta Judicial Circuit