COWETA COUNTY, Ga. - Several members of the so-called "Ghostface Gangsters" were sentenced this week in connection to a deadly home invasion that claimed the life of a 14-year-old Coweta County girl in early 2020.
A Coweta County Superior Court judge accepted the negotiated pleas and handed down sentences for Justin "ATL" Cayne Ramsey, 24, of Locust Grove; William "Chevy" Autrey Tyree, 35, of Newnan; Kyle "Chi Town" Ray Conley, 40, of Augusta; Aubrie "Bri 7" Leigh Brown, 29, of Austell; and Spencer Todd Wix, 31, of Villa Rica.
5 convicted in home invasion that killed 14-year-old girl
Haley Adams had just turned 14 two weeks before the deadly home invasion on Feb. 11, 2020. Prosecutors say gang members Ramsey, Conley, and Brown, along with Brown’s brother, Wix, who was not in the gang, went to the home along Bethlehem Church Road around 9 p.m. in the targeted burglary.
Prosecutors say Tyree, who at the time was a high-ranking member of the Ghostface Gangsters criminal street gang, gave the order due to a personal vendetta he had against the homeowner.
Tryee wanted them to scare him and rough him up a bit but allowed them to steal any firearms they came across inside the home, prosecutors say.
Investigators say Ramsey was armed with an AK-47-style rifle, Conley and Wix were armed with handguns, and Brown carried bags into the residence for the purpose of carrying out stolen guns.
Prosecutors say they terrorized Haley’s mother at gunpoint. When they found out the homeowner wasn’t there, they began to flee.
Haley, who had been hiding in her room until then, jumped out of her hiding spot armed with a BB pistol, chased after them, investigators say.
Prosecutors say police found Haley on the front porch suffering from a bullet fired by Ramsey. She was rushed to an area hospital, where she died.
Who was 14-year-old Haley Adams?
A prayer card for 14-year-old Haley Adams who was killed in a violent home break-in at a Coweta County home on Feb. 11, 2020.
Haley Adams had just turned 14 years old when her life was cut down by a gunman during a deadly home invasion in Coweta County.
She said the 7th grader loved her family, especially her father, Brandon, and her grandma, Cindy, with whom she was staying in Macon.
Friends and family gathered at her Middle Georgia church, Encounter Church, following her death for a vigil.
Her pastor remembered her during the candlelight vigil and how she made such an impression on so many people at such a young age.
"When certain people you hear them sing and you are like, that's God-given. Her dancing, that was it. She was incredible. She was anointed. She was a great kid," says Pastor Caleb Newberry.
"She was such a beautiful soul. She was just an awesome kid. She had just moved in with me the Friday before this happened," her mother, Alyssa Adams, confided.
Her mother says she wanted to go into the Marines and be a drill sergeant.
The 14-year-old had just moved to Coweta County to get closer to her mother. Investigators say she had been staying with her paternal grandmother in the Macon area.
"She's beautiful, silly, friendly, everybody loved her. A great kid," said Alyssa Adams.
Charges and sentences for Ghostface Gangsters involved in deadly home invasion
The five Ghostface Gangsters accused in the deadly home invasion that left 14-year-old Haley Adams dead, were all sentenced for their negotiated pleas this week in Coweta County Superior Court.
Justin Ramsey pleaded guilty in late November to fifteen charges, including felony murder, violations of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, and home invasion in the first degree, among other charges. He was sentenced to serve life in prison, with the possibility of parole. Under Georgia law, Ramsey will be required to serve at least 30 years in prison, prior to being eligible for consideration for release on parole.
William Tyree pleaded guilty in August 2023 to violating the Street Gang Act, aggravated assault, and false imprisonment, among other charges. He was sentenced to 60 years with the first 35 years to be served in prison without parole.
Kyle Conley pleaded guilty in April 2022 to violating the Street Gang Act, voluntary manslaughter, and home invasion in the first degree, among other charges. He was sentenced to serve 40 years with the first 25 years to be served in prison.
Aubrie Brown pleaded guilty in late November to violating the Street Gang Act, voluntary manslaughter, and home invasion in the first degree, among other charges. He was sentenced to serve 50 years with the first 30 years to be served in prison.
Spencer Wix pleaded guilty in April 2022 to voluntary manslaughter and home invasion in the first degree, among other charges. He was sentenced to serve 40 years with the first 25 years to be served in prison.
Prosecutors say each sentence was weighed based upon how each participated in the deadly home invasion and how much they cooperated with the subsequent investigation.
What is the 'whites-only' Ghostface Gangsters?
"Ghostface Gangsters Gang," or GFG, is a "whites-only" gang founded in a Georgia jail in the early 2000s. The name derives from the fact it is a white-supremacy criminal street gang.
The gang has since evolved and expanded from Cobb County into the rest of the state and even jumped state lines.
Prosecutors say the gang’s primary activities include drug trafficking and violent crimes "in furtherance of the gang’s interests."
The gang has a formal structure, rules, and doctrine. Prosecutors say Tyree used his high-ranking position to plot and carry out the crime.
Coweta County District Attorney John Herbert Cranford, Jr., in a statement released Tuesday, wrote:
"This case shows the harm that all street gangs do to our community and the devastation they cause to victims and their families. The view of the District Attorney’s Office is that street gang members who commit gang crimes should be sent to prison. And if those crimes are violent, they should be sent to prison for decades. While our criminal justice system obviously cannot compensate for the loss of Haley Adams, the District Attorney’s Office is satisfied that justice was done in this case and that our community is safer as a result of these sentences."