On a spring evening in Savannah, Georgia, a young man from the nearby town of Guyton was shot and killed, setting off a months-long investigation that would lead to multiple arrests. Brandon Smith, a 26-year-old White male, was found by police on the evening of April 16, 2020. Officers had responded around 8:15 p.m. to the 2600 block of Pate Street, where they discovered Smith deceased from fatal gunshot wounds.
Detectives from the Savannah Police Department immediately began a homicide investigation to piece together the events that led to the shooting. Their work led them to identify a first suspect just over a month later. On May 27, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, police arrested 23-year-old Antavius Wilcox in Clayton County.
Wilcox was extradited to the Chatham County Detention Center and charged with murder.
The investigation continued through the summer and fall, and by early November, authorities had identified three other individuals believed to be involved. Police arrested 35-year-old Benjamin McIver and 20-year-old James Parker, charging both with murder in connection with Smith’s death. The fourth and final suspect, 24-year-old Remon Roberson, was apprehended by the U.S. Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force on November 9 and served with his warrant for murder.
Following the arrests, the case against Benjamin McIver proceeded to trial in Chatham County. A jury found McIver guilty of murder for his role in the killing of Brandon Smith. His conviction was later upheld by the Supreme Court of Georgia. The high court did, however, reverse a separate conviction for armed robbery and sent that portion of the case back to the trial court for resentencing.
