UPDATE: GBI investigating Dubose death by suicide at state prison

Jun. 27—JACKSON, Ga. — Ricky Allen "Juvie" Dubose died by suicide Sunday while in a cell on death row at the Georgia Diagnostic State Prison near Jackson, The Union-Recorder has learned.

He was the youngest person on Georgia's death row.

Less than two weeks ago, Dubose was convicted of shooting to death Georgia Department of Corrections Sgt. Curtis Billue and Sgt. Christopher Monica aboard a state prison transport bus. The murders of the officers happened June 13, 2017, during an escape by Dubose and co-defendant Donnie Russell Rowe Jr. in Putnam County.

A jury of six men and six women returned guilty verdicts against Dubose on two counts of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, and escape and hijacking of a motor vehicle. That same jury decided what punishment he should face for the crimes. Jurors returned a unanimous verdict and recommended that he be sentenced to death.

Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Alison T. Burleson imposed the death sentence against Dubose.

The 29-year-old Dubose, a Madison County, Georgia native, had been on death row for 11 days before he died sometime Sunday afternoon.

His death was confirmed by Putnam County Sheriff Howard R. Sills.

"It's true," Sills said. "I've confirmed it with Georgia Department of Corrections personnel that it did happen."

The sheriff said he did not have specifics.

"He committed suicide," Sills said. "The suicide could be done about as quick as it took for him to murder Billue and Monica. It doesn't take long to do It. If somebody is going to do it, it can happen in a matter of seconds."

Asked if he was surprised that such had happened, the sheriff said, "Yes, I am, considering his age and how long it was going to take before he would be executed. It's not good; it's not bad. At least the State of Georgia won't have to keep him up for the next 20 years, and all the costs associated with the appeals and other things associated with the case."

Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit District Attorney T. Wright Barksdale III said he didn't have a comment to make about Dubose's death.

"I will say this: The Putnam County Sheriff's Office and the District Attorney's Office did our jobs in prosecuting this case," Barksdale said.

Like Sills, the district attorney said the news of Dubose's death had come as a surprise to him.

Barksdale said after learning of such news that he immediately notified members of the Billue and Monica families about what had taken place.

He would not elaborate on what they said concerning Dubose's death.

"I will let them speak about that for themselves," Barksdale said.

Barksdale said he received telephone calls about 5:30 p.m. Sunday from representatives with the Georgia Department of Corrections and Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirming Dubose's death.

The district attorney said special agents assigned to the GBI Region 6 Office in Milledgeville would lead the investigation concerning Dubose's death.

GBI agents, as well as crime scene specialists, were dispatched to the state prison in Butts County on Sunday.

"They will investigate the entire incident," Barksdale said, noting he wasn't speaking for the GBI or GDC, but that was the information that had been given to him.

Gerald "Jerry" Word, one of the four attorneys that defended Dubose during his trial in Putnam County Superior Court in Eatonton, said this was another example of the problem with Georgia's burden of proof involving a person with an intellectual disability, which is difficult to prove.

Word said Dubose had attempted to take his life before while incarcerated as a state inmate.

"I think that this just demonstrates the problems with the intellectually disabled statute in Georgia," Word said.

Word said members of the defense team are devastated by the news of Dubose's death.

"This is extremely devastating to all of us, even though I'd only known Ricky closely for about a year," Word said. "Amber Pittman and Nathanael Studelska had gotten to know him for five years. And Shayla Galloway had gotten to know him well, too."

Dubose's co-defendant, Donnie Rowe, meanwhile, is serving a triple life sentence at the same prison where Dubose died.

The state had also sought the death penalty against him last year but jurors selected to hear that case from Grady County were unable to reach a unanimous decision. Rowe was sentenced to two life prison terms without the possibility of parole for the murders of the state corrections officers.

Rowe already was serving a previous life term in prison for crimes he committed years ago in Macon-Bibb County.