Macon man sentenced after pleading guilty to killing pregnant Miami woman, unborn child

A Macon man pleaded guilty Tuesday to shooting and killing a pregnant woman and her unborn child in 2021, officials said Wednesday.

A judge sentenced Jeremiah Waller Jr., 41, to life in prison Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to murder in Bibb County Superior Court, according to a statement from the District Attorney’s Office.

Waller shot and killed Patricia Ellen Gamboa, 30, and her unborn child in June of 2021 after she and two friends found one of the friends’ vehicle that had been missing on Appling Road, according to Telegraph archives.

While the group waited in a van for police to help get the missing car back, Waller came out from a house across the street and started shooting at the van, the statement said.

One of the shots hit Gamboa, and her friends tried to drive the van to a local hospital. She died on the way and the van stopped on Gray Highway near Interstate 16, where witnesses reported the death, Telegraph archives show.

Gamboa was from Miami, though it was unclear at the time why she was in Macon. In addition to having another child on the way, Gamboa also had a 2-year-old child.

Waller apparently admitted to shooting at the van and disposing of the gun in a later interview with police, the statement said. Witnesses at the scene also identified Waller as the shooter.

Waller pleaded guilty Tuesday to multiple counts of aggravated assault and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon in addition to murder and feticide charges before his trial was set to begin, the statement said.

This story was originally published September 6, 2023 at 2:29 PM.