09/02/2026
For Immediate Release
Justice was served in Douglas County Superior Court this week as 12 jurors unanimously found Karlton Sirmons, 38, of Norcross, guilty of Malice Murder and 21 other charges for a November 2024 domestic-related Villa Rica home invasion that led to a murderous rampage ultimately resulting in one death, three people in the home being shot, and a child being pistol-whipped.
Sirmons kicked in the front door of the Serenity Point Lane home on November 2, 2024, at approximately 6 a.m. in an attempt to get to his girlfriend, Jacquenette Joiner. Joiner was staying with her cousin, Tavarus Joiner, to get away from Sirmons. When the door burst open, Tavarus Joiner came to the top of the stairs to see what was happening and Sirmons shot him in the chest. He then made his way up the stairs, where he fatally shot Tavarus Joiner in the back, shot Jacquenette Joiner in the eight times, and Krisna Chea once in the leg. He also pistol-whipped a 5-year-old boy who was in the room.
Not knowing whether Sirmons was still in the house, Villa Rica police officers arrived within minutes and cleared the house and began treating victims. Tavarus Joiner was already deceased upon their arrival, but the other victims were quickly stabilized and transported to local hospitals.
The victims all advised the shooter was Sirmons and a Flock camera check on a nearby camera put him leaving the subdivision within minutes of the initial 911 call. A look out was put out to surrounding agencies and updated minute-by-minute as it passed Flock cameras. Sirmons was ultimately pulled over in Cobb County and detained in less than three hours.
“This was an example of good teamwork and fast-acting officers, who quickly put aside the carnage and danger they were walking into and went to work identifying a suspect and making sure he was captured quickly,” Villa Rica Chief of Police Michael Mansour said.
“Sergeant Crawford, Sergeant Brown, and Corporal Gordy took charge of the scene, made sure it was safe, organized their officers, and began gathering and passing information on as quickly as they could to dispatch and surrounding agencies while Ofc. Ellinas, a trained Army combat medic, and other officers on the scene went about the work of saving the victims who could be saved.”
Chief Mansour also credited Detective Weingarten, the responding investigator, as well as the entire Criminal Investigation Division for securing search warrants and putting together an air-tight case file that ultimately led to the conviction of Karlton Sirmons.
In addition to Malice Murder, Sirmons was found guilty of two counts of Felony Murder, four counts of Aggravated Assault, three counts of Aggravated Battery, Exploitation or Intimidation of a Disabled Adult, Home Invasion – First Degree, Burglary – First Degree, three counts of Cruelty to Children – First Degree, four counts of Use of a Fi***rm During the Commission of Felony, Possession of a Fi***rm by a Convicted Felon, and Obstruction or Hindering a 911 Call.
When all was said and done, Douglas County Superior Court Judge Deah Warren sentenced Sirmons to life without the possibility of parole plus life imprisonment plus 136 years.
The Villa Rica Police Department would like to thank the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, the Carrollton Police Department, the Cobb County Police Department, the Carroll County E-911 Center and the Douglas County Fire Department for their assistance in this case.
