In the early hours of September 13, 2023, a truck driver making a delivery at a Walmart in Hinesville, Georgia, noticed a man lying under a tree near the rear loading dock. Concerned, the driver called 911 around 1 a.m. When officers from the Hinesville Police Department arrived at the wooded area, located between the store and the Liberty Woods Apartments, they found Jaylin Ferrell unresponsive. Mr. Ferrell, a 20-year-old Black / African American man from Bloomingdale, had been shot multiple times. Emergency medical services and fire department personnel also responded, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators learned that a 911 call had been made around 10 p.m. the previous night, September 12, reporting the sound of gunshots in the same area. Police quickly determined that the shooting did not appear to be a random act and believed the victim had some association with the person or people responsible for his death.
The investigation soon led to the identification of three suspects.
On September 29, 2023, Hinesville police announced the arrests of two brothers, 18-year-old Jaquaves Jaquez Pittman and 19-year-old Jalijah Da'quon Pittman. They were charged with murder, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. A magistrate judge denied bond for both, and they were held at the Liberty County Jail. At the time, a third suspect, 18-year-old Sirenity Marie Hagan, remained at large.
The search for Hagan ended nearly a month later. On October 23, 2023, she was apprehended in Memphis, Tennessee, by the United States Marshal Service. She was held in Memphis before being extradited to Georgia to face charges in connection with Jaylin Ferrell's death.
On February 20, 2024, Hagan and the Pittman brothers were indicted on charges of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault, and conspiracy to commit armed robbery. In 2024, Sirenity Hagan pled guilty to one count of felony murder and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. A concurrent sentence was given for conspiracy to commit armed robbery.
In October 2025, Jalijah Pittman pled guilty to one count of armed robbery and one count of aggravated assault. He received a sentence of 20 years in prison to be followed by 20 years of probation. Jaquaves Pittman chose to go to trial. Following a four-day jury trial in Liberty County Superior Court in late November 2025, he was found not guilty and acquitted of all charges.
