A Milledgeville man pled guilty in Baldwin County Superior Court last week to the 2023 murder of a Putnam County man.
Tavish Nigel Goddard was sentenced to life in prison by Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit Superior Court Chief Judge Alison T. Burleson.
The victim, Joshua Corey Jones, 43, formerly of Thomas Drive on Lake Sinclair in Putnam County, was found dead on June 17, 2023. Jones, a self-employed handyman, was lying unresponsive on the ground between two houses that were being remodeled in Graham Homes.
At the time, the Milledgeville Police Department’s Maj. Linc Boyer said Jones died from at least one gunshot wound from a Glock .9 mm handgun, according to previous reports.
Goddard was arrested by Milledgeville police officers at his home on Highland Avenue two days later and charged with malice murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills assisted Milledgeville Police detectives in finding Jones’ family so they could be notified of his death.
In a hearing Friday, April 25, Goddard offered a negotiated plea of guilty for malice murder in exchange for all the other charges being dropped by the district attorney’s office.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Nancy Moskaly and Tammy Coffey, of the DA’s Office in Milledgeville. Assistant Public Defender John Bradley represented Goddard.
Information at the hearing revealed the murder happened during a drug deal in which Jones was slain while trying to buy methamphetamine from Goddard.