UPDATE: Murder suspect who shot himself at Vineville apartments dies in hospital

Deputies identified the man who shot himself in a police standoff Monday as the man who disappeared before his murder trial earlier this year, according to a news release from the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office.

Demond died from the gunshot wound at a Macon hospital at about 11:25 a.m. Tuesday, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. There were no updates about his connection to the escaped Bibb County jail inmates.

The sheriff’s office received a tip about a man who could help track four escaped inmates from the Bibb County jail, sheriff David Davis said at the scene Monday. The man shot himself when police arrived at the Pines Apartments on Vineville Avenue where he was staying.

Davis and the sheriff’s office later identified the potential informant as Christian Williams, 23, who disappeared in a supposed kidnapping in March the night before he was scheduled to appear in court for a murder charge.

Deputies charged Williams with murder in the 2021 gas station killing of Greg Watkins, court records show. He’s been missing since March 5, when surveillance camera footage showed him being dragged from the porch of his house.

District Attorney Anita Howard and the sheriff’s office were dubious of the kidnapping and warned that Williams was still dangerous.

Davis did not say Monday morning how Williams might be connected to the four escaped inmates, but did say the sheriff’s office was making progress on tracking them down.

“We’re going to get you. We’re going to find you. The footsteps are getting closer,” Davis said in front of the apartments where Williams shot himself.

The sheriff’s office also arrested Mykia Williams, 20, for “aiding or permitting another to escape custody,” according to the Bibb County jail website. It was unclear if she was related to Williams.

Still missing

The search continues for the four inmates, identified as Joey Fournier, 52, Chavis Demaryo Stokes, 29, and Marc Kerry Anderson, 24 and Johnifer Barnwell, 37.

The four men escaped after they pried open a window and went through a fence. Someone driving a blue Dodge Challenger helped the inmates cut through the fence, according to the sheriff’s office.

The FBI, U.S. Marshal’s Service and Bibb sheriff’s office offered $73,000 as a reward Friday for information leading to the inmates.

Deputies found the Dodge Challenger that was caught on video before the jailbreak Oct. 16 in an east Macon Kroger Parking lot Friday night, the sheriff’s office said.

Davis said Monday they found the car thanks to tips from the public and denied some Facebook theories that the car deputies found was different from the one that helped the escaped inmates.

“These keyboard detectives have to let us do our job,” Davis said.

This story was originally published October 23, 2023 at 4:28 PM.