NEWTON COUNTY—A courtroom date is approaching for the defendants charged within the loss of life of 18-year-old Justin Etienne at Denny Dobbs Park final March.
In accordance with courtroom filings, the defendants are set to seem earlier than Decide Cheveda McCamy on Jan. 15, 2026. The courtroom look comes over 9 months after an incident at Denny Dobbs Park in Newton County that left Etienne useless.
This previous March 19 was a “Senior Skip Day” at Denny Dobbs Park for a lot of space college students. Etienne, who was a senior at Salem Excessive Faculty, was considered one of many youngsters on the park.
At round 5 p.m., a battle broke out, and Etienne—who investigators say was a bystander—was shot. Etienne was hospitalized however succumbed to his accidents later that night.
– picture by Contributed Photograph
Within the days that adopted, two youngsters had been arrested. Jarvis Hinton Jr., who was a 16-year-old scholar at Newton Excessive Faculty on the time, was taken into custody on March 21. Tashshawn Lyons, a 17-year-old Rockdale County Excessive Faculty scholar, was arrested on March 24.
Nonetheless, The Covington Information has confirmed {that a} third teenage defendant is being charged in Etienne’s loss of life.
Jordan McIntosh was booked into the Newton County Jail on March 28. In accordance with his reserving report, McIntosh was arrested at his Conyers dwelling by the Newton County Sheriff’s Workplace (NCSO). He was 16 years previous on the time.
Whereas press releases had been despatched out for each Lyons and Hinton’s arrests, McIntosh’s inclusion within the case has remained unreported up to now.
“…on the time of the arrest, the person’s title was not launched as a consequence of ongoing investigative procedures that wanted to be accomplished earlier than his title and {photograph} might be made public, with the intention to keep away from compromising the lively investigation,” stated Caitlin Jett, NCSO communication supervisor, in a press release to The Information on Dec. 23. “As soon as these steps had been finalized, the switch of knowledge to me for dissemination was sadly ignored. The data was not deliberately withheld; quite, it was a procedural oversight following the completion of required investigative steps.”
The three defendants face matching expenses, together with malice homicide, felony homicide, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm through the fee of a felony, possession of a firearm by an individual below the age of 18 and reckless conduct.
Moreover, the defendants are going through expenses of violating the Avenue Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. This was not among the many preliminary expenses handed all the way down to Lyons and Hinton.
The Information contacted District Legal professional Randy McGinley concerning the extra gang-related cost. McGinley declined to remark, citing moral issues because the case is pending.
An indictment launched in June named a second sufferer alongside Etienne: Luther Hill. Hill was not killed within the occasions on the park, however the indictment indicated {that a} firearm was brandished at him, which quantities to an assault cost. It additionally seems that Hill’s “sandals” had been taken from him, cited below a violation of the Avenue Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act.
Hinton, Lyons and McIntosh will seem in courtroom in January. All have obtained authorized illustration. They’ve been held within the Newton County Detention Heart with out bond since their arrests.
