Woman pleads guilty to felony murder in death of paraplegic Fort Valley man

A 27-year-old woman charged with felony murder pleaded guilty Tuesday in the March death of Troymaine Johnson, a 33-year-old man who is a paraplegic and died from hypothermia after being left at an Upson County hunting camp in below-freezing temperatures.

Ruby Kate “Katie” Coursey, of Thomaston, also is charged with felony neglect of a disabled adult and was sentenced to life in prison, according to a news release from Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney Benjamin D. Coker.

Coursey drove to Fort Valley the night of March 14 and picked up Johnson from his home he shared with his grandmother. Coursey and Johnson had once been in a relationship, and the two were going for a ride, possibly to a store. His wheelchair was left behind.

Two days later, Coursey’s brother and sister-in-law called Thomaston police to report that Coursey told them she put Johnson out of her car and left him in the woods.

His body was found a few hours later at a hunting camp off Triune Mill Road in the southeast part of the county. Temperatures had reached the mid-20s since he was last seen with Coursey.

Coursey will remain in Upson County Jail, where she has been in custody since March 17 on an unrelated probation violation charge.

Information from Telegraph archives was used in this report.

This story was originally published June 13, 2017 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Woman pleads guilty to felony murder in death of paraplegic Fort Valley man."