Man who shot, killed woman in her Warner Robins home sentenced to life for murder
A homeless man has pleaded guilty to murdering a woman who let him into her home and will face life in prison with the possibility of parole, Houston County District Attorney William Kendall announced Friday.
Rodney Wayne Helms pleaded guilty Tuesday to killing Natasha Reyes on Nov. 13, 201,8 in her home on Maplewood Drive, the district attorney’s office said in a news release. In the case, heard by Houston County Judge Katherine Lumsden, prosecutors said witnesses pinpointed Helms at Reyes’ home the day of the killing.
“We cannot bring back Ms. Reyes, but we hoped to have played a small role in seeking justice and removing a monster from our street,” said Kendall. “Those who prey on others and take advantage of their kindness should be held accountable for their actions, in this case Helms will spend a minimum of the next 30 years in prison.”
Warner Robins Police Department investigator Joshua Dokes said on the day of the killing, Reyes invited Helms into her home to protect him from the rain and give him something to eat. Later, Reyes caught Helms stealing a .40-caliber handgun from a bedroom in her home along with other personal items in the house, according to a news release from the district attorney.
Reyes confronted Helms and he shot her in her kitchen at close range multiple times, according to the news release.
Helms fled the scene with the handgun and other stolen items and headed toward a convenience store on Feagin Mill Road, the press release said. Police later took him into custody.
The attorney who prosecuted this case, Alicia Gassett, said she was thankful to the investigators from the district attorney’s office and WRPD for helping her prosecute this case.
“Reyes was a kind young woman who thought she was helping someone in need only to have her life brutally taken from her,” said Gassett. “I hope and pray that this sentence will bring her family peace and closure to this difficult chapter in their lives.”
