A man accused of killing a loss prevention officer at a Walmart in Lilburn, Georgia, last year will spend life in prison after he pleaded guilty to the crime on Monday, city police said. Boaz Anthony Fordyce entered the plea on charges that he murdered JD Ferguson by shooting him on April 10, 2016. In all, Fordyce plead guilty to one county of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, one count of aggravated assault, one county of felony theft by shoplifting and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
“This guilty plea was a direct result of the fine work of the Lilburn Investigators, the GBI Crime Scene Investigators who collected and processed the evidence at the scene, and the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office that put this case together and prepared it for a trial,” Lilburn Police Chief Bruce Hedley said in a statement. “It is our hope that the successful end of this case helps to bring some sense of closure to the Ferguson family.” Ferguson confronted Fordyce about his attempts to steal several widescreen televisions from the Walmart, according to police. During the confrontation, Fordyce pulled out a pistol and fired it at Ferguson. Fordyce fled only to be arrested two days later when he tried to buy the gun used in the shooting back from a pawn shop owner. Officials said police investigators were able to identify and then arrest him quickly because of numerous tips they received from the public. [Source: Gwinnett Daily Post]