Teen gang member convicted of murder
Jun. 9—A jury of seven women and five men deliberated a little more than two hours Friday before returning guilty verdicts on nine of 11 felony charges against a 17-year-old gang member in Milledgeville.
Shane Tassi, who had maintained his innocence during his week-long murder trial, showed no emotion as Baldwin County Superior Court Clerk Wanda T. Paul read aloud the verdicts in a hushed courtroom.
Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Amanda S. Petty asked the clerk of courts to announce the findings of the jury on each of the charges.
"We, the jury, as to count one, malice murder, guilty; as to count two, felony murder, guilty; as to count three, aggravated assault, guilty; as to count four, felony murder, guilty; as to count five, home invasion, guilty; as to count six, felony murder, not guilty; as to count seven, burglary in the first degree, not guilty; as to count eight, aggravated assault, guilty; as to count nine, aggravated assault, guilty; as to count 10, aggravated assault, guilty; and as to count 11, aggravated assault, guilty, this 7th day of June 2024," Paul said.
Tassi was convicted of shooting to death 18-year-old Syee Havior during a Feb. 2, 2023 home invasion.
Many members of the Havior family and close friends were in the courtroom when jurors reached their verdicts in the multi-count grand jury indictment against Tassi. Testimony revealed that Tassi was a member of the HOP gang, an affiliate of the Bloods on Milledegville's south side.
Havior was a senior at Baldwin High School and the father of a 2-month-old daughter when he was shot at his family's home off Black Springs Road in Baldwin County.
Tassi's lead defense attorney, Matt Tucker of Tucker & Associates Law Firm, LLC, of Jonesboro patted his client on the back as the nine guilty counts and two not guilty charges were read.
Tucker, who received assistance from court-appointed defense attorney Michael Alexander of Macon, requested that each juror be polled as to their individual findings in the case.
Judge Petty asked all 12 jurors three questions. The questions were identical for each juror.
The three questions were: Was that your verdict in the jury room; was it freely and voluntarily made by you, and is it still your verdict now?
Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit District Attorney T. Wright Barksdale III and Assistant District Attorney Sydney E. Segers prosecuted the case with help from Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Ethan Brown.
Judge Petty sentenced Tassi, the victim's second cousin, to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 80 years for his convictions on other charges related to the case.
Tassi was escorted out of the courtroom in handcuffs by several deputies with the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office.
Now known as a convicted murderer, Tassi was one of four co-defendants involved in the home invasion turned murder.
The other three co-defendants in the case were Jarius Tremon Washington, Malik Atravon Smith and Darrius Holmes. Before Tassi's trial, the co-defendants were involved in plea negotiations with the district attorney's office. They each pleaded guilty to one count of home invasion and were sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Smith and Holmes testified in Tassi's murder trial.
