Misplaced evidence leads Macon prosecutor to dismiss murder cases for 2 suspects
Macon prosecutors cited lost evidence as a reason for two murder suspects having their charges dismissed, according to court records from last week.
Assistant District Attorney Alveta S. Watkins of the Macon Judicial Circuit said Nov. 5 that they were unable to prove that Jordan Shamone Young and another suspect, a now 17-year-old, were responsible for the death of 22-year-old Tylik Emmanuel Young in December 2022 because a Bibb County Sheriff’s Office investigator had misplaced evidence, according to a request to dismiss the case.
Their charges, which included three counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of criminal property damage, and two counts of cruelty to children, were dismissed.
Watkins became aware of the evidence — a statement that Jordan Young provided to Deandre Hall, the investigator, that was recorded on his phone — in a meeting held on July 10. However, “Hall believed the recording had been saved to a hard drive that was determined to be corrupted,” Watkins said in the dismissal request.
Hall’s supervisor reportedly told him that there wasn’t enough money to restore the hard drive, according to the dismissal request. District Attorney Anita Howard contacted the sheriff’s office regarding the importance of the contents of the hard drive, which led Sheriff David Davis to approve additional money to recover the contents of the hard drive seven days after the meeting.
But despite the efforts, the interview could not be located, according to Watkins in the dismissal request.
“Additional requests for assistance from the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office were also made at this meeting, including requests for DNA testing of the buccal swabs from the firearms attributed to the victim by incident reports,” Watkins said in the dismissal request. “As of November 3, 2025, the DNA test had not been completed.”
Jordan Young and the minor suspect have argued that the shooting was self-defense, according to court records.
Because of the issues faced, “the State recognizes the self-defense assertions combined with other evidentiary concerns, including the loss of material evidence … by the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, would prohibit the State from meeting its burden … beyond a reasonable doubt,” Watkins said in the dismissal request.
Tylik Young died in the 1800 block of Third Avenue on Dec. 2, 2022. Jordan Young was injured in the shooting. The 17-year-old suspect was arrested Dec. 13, 2022, when he was 14.
