Warner Robins man who killed his ex-girlfriend, hid her body sentenced to life
A Warner Robins man was convicted after a four-day trial of murdering his ex-girlfriend, and will serve life in prison.
A Houston County jury found Jayveon Bivins guilty of multiple charges Friday relating to the death of his ex-girlfriend, Michaela Chaney, which occurred early February 2024. He was convicted of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, concealing the death of another, burglary, two counts of tampering with evidence, theft by taking and possessing a firearm while committing a crime, Houston County District Attorney Eric Edwards said.
Judge Edward Lukemire sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole, as well as an additional 20 years to be served on top of that.
“His actions have left a devastating void in the lives of all who knew and loved Michaela: her family, her friends, and every person whose life she touched,” said Chief Assistant District Attorney Greg Winters, who prosecuted the case against Bivins.
Edwards said that Bivins committed the murder after finding out about messages his girlfriend exchanged with another man. Bivins went to Chaney’s apartment to confront her about them. Their relationship had ended prior to the incident, Edwards said.
When Chaney refused to discuss the messages, Bivins became enraged and “retrieved her firearm from her purse and fatally shot her in the head inside her apartment,” according to Edwards.
Bivins wrapped Chaney’s body in a sheet and a comforter, placed her in the trunk of her car and drove to a wooded area where he hid her body with brush and a log, according to Edwards. He returned to the apartment to clean the scene and remove evidence, which included shell casings and a Ring doorbell camera. Bivins then cleaned her car with bleach, abandoned it and walked home.
“Chaney was a young woman with her entire life ahead of her, and that life was stolen in an act of senseless violence by someone who once claimed to care about her,” Edwards said. “The actions Jayveon Bivins took — both during and after this murder — demonstrate a disturbing level of cruelty and callousness that demanded the strongest possible response from our justice system.”
