Watkinsville man sentenced to life in prison for killing parents in 2021
A 21-year-old Watkinsville man was sentenced Thursday to life in prison for the murders of his mother and step-father in a shocking case that court testimony showed devastated the victims' families.
Peyton Moyer entered guilty pleas to several charges stemming from the slayings on Dec. 28, 2021, that claimed the lives of Benjamin “Benji” Smith, 54, and Ashley E. Schutza, 41, at their home on Bouldercrest Circle in Watkinsville.
Moyer pleaded guilty in Oconee County Superior Court to two counts of malice murder, but mentally ill. He also pleaded to several counts of possessing a gun during a felony and cruelty to children.
Western Circuit Superior Court Judge Patrick Haggard imposed a sentence of life in prison followed by 15 years in confinement. The sentence was a plea agreement reached between the District Attorney’s Office and defense lawyer Jeremiah Roberts.
In addition, Haggard signed a permanent protection order that orders Moyer to stay away from nearly two dozen people associated with the victims.
Haggard told the family members attending the hearing that there was little he could say to make matters better. He noted that “time doesn’t heal this” and “there is no closure here today.”
“Unless you’ve lived this, you don’t understand it,” said Haggard, whose own father was gunned down and killed during a robbery in Athens in 1992.
“It’s always there,” the judge said.
When Moyer killed his parents, his two sisters, ages 16 and 4, were also in the home and the oldest one called 911 for help.
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Assistant District Attorney Graham Penney, who handled the case, said Oconee County sheriff’s deputies arrived to find Schutza slumped over a chair in the living room and Smith on the floor. Both died of gunshot wounds from a Glock pistol.
Moyer had fled the scene, but was later arrested that day in Athens, where he was caught driving his parents’ car, according to the report.
Members of the family were allowed to speak about the impact the crime imposed on their lives.
Deana Carson spoke on how the murder of her brother was “beyond crippling.”
She has seen first-hand how the violence affected her two nieces and how her own parents have grieved. She directly spoke to Moyer, telling him how by his demonic act he had slain a mother who loved him and a step-father who provided for him.
Whitney McGeary, Smith’s daughter who was not at the house that day, said there were no words to describe the anger, grief and heartbreak she has felt.
“I wish I could tell my dad I love him one more time,” she said.
McGeary said she has wondered what happened to cause Moyer to shoot her father.
Heather Moore, a victim’s advocate in the DA’s office, read impact letters from Schutza’s mother, Sandra Edmunds, and brothers, Roderick Edmunds and Brantley Edmunds. They all shared how the slaying shattered a close family and caused “indescribable pain.”
One of the daughters, Laney Moyer, now a college student, described the plight of losing her parents to the violent crime in terms of dealing suddenly with losing the support of parents and the psychological harm of witnessing the crime.
She also expressed a fear of what might happen if one day Moyer is released from prison.
“It is a fear for all of us,” she wrote.
Moyer, dressed in striped jail garb and wearing handcuffs, did not address the court about the slayings, but his attorney expressed some remorse on his client’s behalf.
Roberts said his client’s mental instability contributed in a large way to what happened that night. His medical records showing the numerous times he has been treated at mental institutions in recent years were shared with the prosecutor’s office, according to the attorney.
“He is here to try to take responsibility for their murders,” Roberts said.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Watkinsville man pleads guilty to murdering parents in 2021
