Convicted murderer sentenced to life for deadly Gwinnett County road rage shooting
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - A DeKalb County man previously convicted of murder will spend the rest of his life in prison for the deadly road rage shooting of a man in Gwinnett County.
This week, a jury found 61-year-old Michael Charles Jackson guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Prosecutors say the charges come from a shooting on Jan. 27, 2022, off of Rockbridge Road. That morning, officers arrived at the scene and found 46-year-old Stone Mountain resident Don Wardlaw dead in the driver's seat of the car that had crashed in a yard. The father of two had been shot twice.
Jackson was arrested a week later during a traffic stop for an unrelated warrant from Clayton County. After searching his truck and home, police say they found a box and magazines matching the weapon used in the shooting and gunshot residue.
Investigators testified that Jackson tailed Wardlaw moments before the crash and that his victim knew he was following him and tried to escape.
"It is unfortunate that the mere act of driving could lead to this murder," District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. "We hope that Mr. Wardlaw’s family will begin to heal from this tragedy."
Jackson had previously been convicted in 1987 for murder in North Carolina and in 2016 for disorderly conduct involving a firearm charge in Rockdale County. He acted as his own defense attorney in the trial.
Following the conviction, a Gwinnett County judge sentenced Jackson to life in prison plus 15 years without the possibility of parole.