District Attorney Shalena Cook Jones announced the conviction of Shawn Bolden on charges of malice murder and felony murder in the shooting death of his girlfriend, Deanna Ellison. The verdict was delivered on December 1, 2025, following a swift deliberation by jurors who took only 35 minutes to reach their decision.
According to the district attorney’s press release, jurors heard detailed accounts of the severe abuse Deanna endured throughout her relationship with Bolden. The DA’s office noted that Deanna ended the relationship on Mother’s Day in 2020 after Bolden slapped her for inviting her mother to dinner. At the time, she was three months pregnant with her first child.
The release described the events leading to Deanna’s death with devastating clarity. “Almost a year later and just 3 days before what would have been Deanna’s first Mother’s Day, Bolden emptied his 9mm revolver into Deanna, reloaded it, and continued to shoot her lifeless body. All of this occurred in front of the couple’s 5-month-old child.” The Medical Examiner testified that Deanna suffered a total of 11 gunshot wounds, as per WTOC.
Neighbors called 911 after hearing the gunfire and seeing a man fleeing the home. When first responders arrived, they heard the infant crying inside and had to kick in the door to reach the child. Jurors later watched the officers’ body camera footage, which members of the prosecution described as one of the most difficult videos they had ever presented in court.
Roughly an hour after the killing, Chatham County dispatch received an anonymous 911 call reporting that Bolden had confessed to killing his “baby momma.” A statewide alert was issued, and Georgia State Patrol officers located Bolden more than 100 miles away on Interstate 16. After a high-speed chase through two counties, troopers used a PIT maneuver to stop his vehicle and took him into custody.
Port Wentworth detectives testified that Bolden attempted to deceive investigators throughout the case. “Throughout the investigation, Bolden showed no concern for the well-being of his son or Deanna,” the release stated.
The district attorney’s office emphasized that cases like Deanna’s fuel their renewed focus on victims and their families. “Our commitment to rebuilding the Special Victims Unit bigger and stronger than ever is a commitment of support to all victims and their families,” Jones said. She added that they will continue to fight to ensure victims like Deanna are never forgotten.
Bolden was also convicted of aggravated assault and possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime. Sentencing is set for January 9, 2025, and prosecutors plan to pursue life without the possibility of parole.
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