‘You need to die in a penitentiary.’ Jury finds Macon man guilty in 2020 triple murder

A jury convicted a Macon man of murder and kidnapping among other charges in Bibb Superior Court Thursday after he killed three relatives of his child’s mother in 2020.

Caesar Zamien Crockett, now 32, was found guilty of shooting and killing the grandparents and aunt of his child as well as kidnapping his 2-year-old son and engaging Florida police in a six-hour standoff in April of 2020, according to court testimony.

The trial lasted roughly three days and hinged on key testimony from the child’s mother, Jamila French, who witnessed part of the shooting, and several police officers. Crockett himself testified on the final day of the trial in a failed effort to convince at least one member of the jury.

Crockett claimed when he testified that he was threatened by a Mexican cartel in 2019 and that the shooting in 2020 was a cartel attack.

“I got a text around Thanksgiving (of 2019) from a Mexican cartel member,” Crockett said when he took the stand in front of a packed courtroom. “They had my address… they said they were going to kill me and my family.”

Crockett opened his testimony by saying his name was “King Lucifer Cane,” refusing to go by his legal name. He also took long silences between answering questions from attorneys, tilting his head upwards and closing his eyes. He often shook as he spoke, moving erratically as he answered questions.

After the jury gave the verdict, family members of the three people slain gave impact statements before sentencing.

“Caesar, it’s between you and God now,” the daughter of a victim said. “I’m thankful that you’ll never get to see your son. I hope that you spend your nights sleepless.”

Judge Howard Simms sentenced Crockett to three consecutive life sentences without parole for the three counts of murder after the jury of seven men and five women delivered the verdict in less than an hour Thursday afternoon. Family members of the victims wiped away tears as Simms told Crockett how he would spend the rest of his days.

“You asked (Jamila French) about your legacy, Mr. Crockett… but you almost killed your legacy in the back seat of that car,” Simms said during sentencing. “You need to die in a penitentiary. I’ve tried a lot of bad cases… this is one of the worst.”

The case

The prosecution built a timeline of events for the jury to follow by way of witnesses and boxes upon boxes of evidence. French testified as the key witness, describing how the shooting began.

Crockett was living with French along with her mother Janet Samuel, 67; her step-father James Samuel, 69; and her sister, Deshasta Childs, 47. French and Crockett took care of their son King, 2, while French worked full-time, according to French’s testimony in court.

At about 9 p.m. April 1, 2020, Crockett sat next to French as she cleaned the bathroom, French said. He asked her repeatedly about why she wanted to harm “his legacy” by not having another child. French said she could not have another child between raising King and working full-time.

Crockett asked French “if her God would condemn him on her behalf,” French said.

That was when Crockett attacked her, according to French, punching her in the face and knocking her glasses to the floor before getting on top of her. French yelled for her mom, who came into the bathroom and pulled Crockett off of her daughter, French said.

Crockett then went to their bedroom, where he had stashed a gun he took out of French’s car earlier that day, and returned to the room shooting at French and her mother. French saw her mother grab her upper body and say “Oh God,” then ran out of the house down the street.

Both of French’s parents and her sister were dead when police arrived at their Moreland Avenue home. Autopsies admitted into evidence in court showed that all three died of gunshot wounds, Childs specifically from a close range shot.

Crockett fled to Florida with King as a hostage, eventually leading Tampa police on a high-speed chase before crashing. He released King but held police in a six-hour standoff before he peacefully surrendered, attorneys said.

With testimony from crime scene investigators and detectives, prosecuting attorneys said Crockett was the killer. Tampa police Lt. Whitney McCormick testified in court that Crockett admitted to the killings to officers while he engaged in the Tampa standoff, saying he had “made the biggest mistake of his life.”

Crockett also said during the standoff that French only survived “because she got out of the house after I shot,” according to McCormick’s testimony.

Other evidence included the gun and bullets Crockett had in his car, both of which were 9 mm, matching the 9 mm bullets found at the scene of the shooting. There was also a 911 call of French reporting Crockett shooting her mom and body cam footage of police investigating.

The official charges the jury convicted Crockett of were three counts of felony murder, one count of kidnapping and one of aggravated assault. He was sentenced to one additional life sentence and 20 more years in a penitentiary for the latter two charges in addition to the murder sentence.

This story was originally published May 18, 2023 at 3:44 PM.