Macon or Bibb County, GA – On August 21, 2025, a jury found 33-year-old Deon Banks guilty on all 15 counts for the brutal November 2022 home invasion that left two men dead and two survivors traumatized in what prosecutors called one of the most heinous crimes in recent memory.
Banks was convicted of Malice Murder, Felony Murder, Rape, Aggravated Sodomy, False Imprisonment, Aggravated Assault, and Possession of a Firearm during the commission of a felony. The decisive verdict resulted in Banks receiving three consecutive life sentences plus five years to serve.
On November 3, 2022, Banks broke into a home on the 3500 block of Morris Avenue, and held four victims at gunpoint, according to one of the surviving witnesses who testified at trial. When 61-year-old Milton Jolly attempted to flee the home, Banks shot him and pursued him outside before returning to shoot 41-year-old George Brooks. One of the two other victims in the home, a 45-year-old female testified that Banks kicked open her bedroom door brandishing two firearms, assaulted Jolly, and then sexually assaulted her while forcing Jolly to watch.
Prosecutors demonstrated that Banks had previously accused Jolly of stealing a gun and held the residents at gunpoint demanding payment. When Jolly promised to pay two days later, Banks threatened to kill everyone in the home if he wasn’t paid. Banks was apprehended later that same day on Riverside Drive with a .380 caliber Hi-Point firearm that matched shell casings found at the crime scene, as well as a smaller .22 caliber pistol with a jammed round.
“This verdict reflects the overwhelming evidence of Deon Banks’ heinous crimes and the jury’s recognition of the terror he inflicted on innocent victims in their own home,” said District Attorney Anita Howard. “While nothing can undo the trauma suffered by the survivors or bring back George Brooks and Milton Jolly, this conviction ensures that Banks will spend the rest of his life behind bars where he belongs. Our office will continue to fight tirelessly for justice for victims of violent crime.”
Assistant Deputy Chiefs Jeremy B. Johnson and Alveta Watkins prosecuted the case.
