Sydney Maughon, on the left, Jeremy Munson, center, and McKenzie Davenport, on the right, appear in a mug shots. (Spalding County Sheriff’s Office)
One of the suspects pled guilty to malice murder and all other charges, receiving a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole. The second suspect accepted a deal for voluntary manslaughter, with a recommended sentence of 20 years with eight to serve in custody. The third suspect is considering a proposed agreement for a 20-year sentence with 12 years to serve.
Sydney Maughon and McKenzie Davenport both pleaded guilty last month to charges related to the July 2023 shooting death of Johnathan Gilbert, according to the Spalding County District Attorney’s Office. Senior Assistant District Attorney Audrey Holliday told Law&Crime on Monday that Maughon entered a guilty plea for malice murder and Davenport pleaded guilty to a pair of misdemeanors stemming from her actions before the shooting. Jeremy Munson, the third suspect, had a deal offered to him and is currently waiting for his attorney to return from a “leave of absence” to accept or deny it, according to Holiday.
“He has been made an offer for voluntary manslaughter, but his attorney has been on a leave of absence, so his case has yet to be resolved,” Holliday said. “His offer has been extended until December 13, so there’s a possibility he could enter a plea on that day.”
Maughon, Munson, both 18 at the time, and Davenport, who was 19, allegedly went to Gilbert’s residence with the intentions of “egging” it — aka to throw eggs at it — in an act of revenge that stemmed from an “ongoing lovers quarrel,” according to the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office. Gilbert caught the trio in the act and tried confronting them about it, which led Maughon to open fire on him with a pistol she was carrying. Gilbert was unarmed and his body was left in the street.
“Because they all plotted and planned together and traveled to the location with the intent to commit a crime that led up to the murder together, they are all culpable just as if they had each pulled the trigger themselves,” Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix said in a 2023 press release. “They went to egg a house, the victim confronted them while they were doing it, he lost his life, and they drove off and left his body in the middle of the road. Together they bought that ticket; now, together, they can ride that ride.”
Maughon and Davenport appeared in court on Nov. 20 to enter their pleas, according to Holliday, with Maughon being sentenced immediately afterward.
“Maughon was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole,” Holliday said.
The young woman will have to wait until she is at least 30 years old before she is eligible for parole, according to the DA’s office. Munson currently faces charges of felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
