Macon – A Macon man was sentenced to prison Monday in the Sept. 11, 2016, fatal shooting of 36-year-old Ralfeale Carnell Lowe.
Qontavis Markis Bryant, 20, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and armed robbery during a hearing in Bibb County Superior Court. Pursuant to plea negotiations, Bryant was sentenced to serve 40 years, 28 of them in prison.
If the case had gone to trial, prosecutor John Regan would have presented evidence showing:
Bibb County deputies responded to 2336 English Avenue at about 4:30 p.m. in response to a shooting. When they arrived, deputies found Lowe had been shot in the chest. He died later at a local hospital.
A search of Lowe’s cell phone revealed Bryant had been Lowe’s last call. When questioned by deputies, Lowe initially only admitted to being present at the time of the shooting. He later admitted to bragging about the shooting and robbery.
A second man charged in the case, 19-year-old Brandon Jermaine Mcallister, said the shooting was part of a struggle over a marijuana purchase. Bryant was the man who pulled the trigger.
Mcallister pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in 2017 and was sentenced to 20 years with the first 15 in prison.
During Monday’s hearing, a judge asked Bryant how much marijuana had been involved in the transaction. Bryant replied that it was about two ounces, worth about $400.
Speaking after the hearing, District Attorney David Cooke said, “Mr. Bryant has more years to serve for his crimes than he’s been alive. By the time his sentence is over, he will know the true cost of drug deals gone bad.”
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Contact: Amy Leigh Womack
478-621-6179 (office)
478-319-2529 (cell)