Cherokee County man sentenced in murder of ex-girlfriend
James Damon Clements (Cherokee County Sheriff's Office)
CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. - A man charged in the murder of his former girlfriend was sentenced to life in prison, the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office announced.
A jury found 53-year-old James Damon Clements guilty of charges stemming from an attack on two male roommates and the murder of ex-girlfriend, Shannon Goetz at a home in Woodstock.
Cherokee County deputies went to the Eagle Watch subdivision after receiving a ‘person down’ around 7 p.m. on December 22, 2017. Authorities found signs of a struggle and discovered Goetz deceased on the floor inside the home. She had visible injuries on her body.
Investigators said Goetz was previously in a relationship with Clements, but she ended it shortly before her death.
When deputies entered the basement bedroom, they observed signs of a struggle and found Goetz deceased on the floor with visible injuries to her body. Goetz had been in a relationship with Clements, which she had broken off shortly before her death.
Detectives later determined Clements used a knife during an assault on two men inside the home due to the belief the men had a romantic interest in Goetz.
Investigators said Clements acted as if he wa the homeowner of the residence during a 911 call he made using Goetz's cell phone. He left the home after the call.
Clements then used an alias to rent a hotel room in Cobb County. Police tracked his location and eventually arrested him in Marietta.
The autopsy later determined that Goetz suffered more than 34 head injuries along with torso and extremities injuries. Officials ultimately ruled a brain injury as the cause of death.
The evidence in this case proved beyond a reasonable doubt that this defendant was solely responsible for the death of Shannon Goetz, and that it was his brutal beating that took her life," Chief Assistant District Attorney Susan Treadaway said.
The State called 27 witnesses during a weeklong trial that ended on February 11. The jury deliberated for less than two hours before reaching its verdict. Clements was convicted for convictions for felony murder, family violence aggravated battery, aggravated assault, simple assault, and battery.
Clements will not have the possibility of parole, officials said.
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