Taylor Dickens was a 32-year-old White man from McDonough, Georgia, remembered by loved ones as a loving father, husband, son, and brother who had a big heart and made everyone laugh. His life was cut short during a confrontation in the summer of 2023.
On the evening of June 16, 2023, Taylor and Marren Dickens met Charles Corbitt at the Pilot Travel Center on Eatonton Road in Madison for a child custody exchange. Sometime between 7:00 and 7:30 p.m., a physical altercation broke out in the parking lot between Taylor and Corbitt. The fight escalated tragically when Corbitt, then 28, produced a .357 Taurus revolver and shot Taylor four times at point-blank range. The shooting occurred in the presence of multiple children.
After the shooting, Marren Dickens attempted to drive Taylor to a hospital but, being unfamiliar with the area, she stopped in front of a nearby McDonald’s for help. Madison police officers arrived and guided an ambulance to the scene.
Paramedics rushed Taylor to Morgan Medical Center, but he did not survive his injuries.
The Madison Police Department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation launched a homicide investigation. They quickly identified Charles Corbitt III of Augusta as the shooter and arrested him. He was charged with murder and aggravated assault and booked into the Morgan County Jail.
Corbitt’s trial concluded on January 10, 2024. After deliberating for less than 30 minutes, a Morgan County jury returned a guilty verdict for the murder of Taylor Dickens. Chief Judge Brenda H. Trammell sentenced Corbitt to life in prison with the possibility of parole, plus an additional five years of probation. With the conviction and sentencing, the case was officially closed as of January 2024.
