High profile criminal case concluded in eight days

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The criminal trial for Tony Williams, Travis Brown and Richard “RICO” Anderson concluded Wednesday, August 11, with the jury returning guilty verdicts on all counts for the defendants. The trial took place in Emanuel County Superior Court with the Honorable Judge Robert S. Reeves presiding, and the case being tried by District Attorney Tripp Fitzner and Chief Assistant Kelly Weathers.
Tony Williams was sentenced to consecutive life terms without parole for the murders of Angela Gillis and Zavion Ricks and for conspiring to violate the RICO Act for racketeering statute, drug, and gun charges. Anderson received life sentence without parole and consecutive time (25 years) for the murder of Ricks, violation of gang statute, conspiracy to violate the racketeering statute and gun charges. Brown was sentenced to ten years in prison for conspiracy to violate the racketeering statute.
“I want the community to know this is not the end. This is the beginning. We aren’t finished. We are just getting started. Violence has no place in our neighborhoods. Drugs have no place on our streets. Violent criminal street gangs have no place anywhere. I have seen first-hand how many of our friends and neighbors have lived in fear for far too long. We are here to fight for them, and we will continue to fight for them,” stated District Attorney Fitzner.
Many agencies assisted in providing security during the 8-day court trial, including the Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office, Swainsboro Police Department, Georgia State Patrol, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Johnson County Sheriff’s Office
and the Drug Task Force.