Murder trial begins for Bibb County man accused of killing roommate in Lizella in 2021

The murder trial of a local man accused of shooting his roommate in west Bibb County in 2021 began this week in superior court.

Christopher Leon Woods, now 61, is charged with malice murder, felony murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in the 2021 shooting of Freddie Lee Battle, 69, at a home in the Lizella area.

Woods is accused of shooting Battle at about 8:30 p.m. on July 30, 2021 on the 7500 Bethel Church Road in Macon, according to Telegraph archives. The two got into an argument before Woods retrieved a gun and shot Battle in the back, the Bibb County sheriff’s office said.

Battle died at the scene, coroner Leon Jones said in 2021. His death marked the 28th of 43 homicides that year. Deputies arrested Woods there after he remained at the scene until they arrived.

Woods admitted to the shooting over the phone with 911 operators and when police arrived at the scene, prosecuting attorneys claimed as the trial began Tuesday. Wood allegedly told a 911 operator he “killed his best friend.”

The third charge against Woods for possessing a gun as a felon stems from a 1994 aggravated assault charge, according to court evidence.

Woods’s trial comes before judge Howard Z. Simms at the Bibb County courthouse in downtown Macon this week.