A jury has decided: Jimmy Brian Blackmon is guilty of murder.

Nearly four full years since the shooting death of his wife, Blackmon has now been convicted after a three-day murder trial on all charges against him after a jury sat for nearly two hours between Wednesday evening and this morning deliberating the case.

Proceedings wrapped up late Wednesday afternoon with closing arguments and the case went to the jury hearing an argument from the prosecution that going with a voluntary manslaughter conviction as the defense suggested wasn’t appropriate.

Browning told jurors that the circumstances of the case were such that anything less than a murder conviction would be denying justice to Ginger Blackmon and her family.

They listened, and in Chief Judge Mark Murphy’s courtroom in the Tallapoosa Circuit this morning delivered the guilty verdict on all counts: felony murder, malice murder, possession of a firearm or knife during commission of or attempt to commit certain felonies, and cruelty to children in the third degree.

An additional felony murder and a related possession of a firearm by convicted felon had to be dismissed, found out after he was charged that he had been pardoned.

“This has been a long and challenging case over the past four years, but I am glad that the jury’s decision today has finally brought closure to a family who has been grieving the loss of their daughter, their sister, mother, cousin, and close friend,” District Attorney Jack Browning said. “I’m glad to have played a part in ensuring that we have reached this closure, and look forward to bringing this case to a close later this summer.”

Sentencing in the case is set for an August 27 hearing date.

All this brings another chapter of a dramatic story to a conclusion, that began on the fateful night of October 18, 2020, when Jimmy Brian Blackmon shot and killed his wife at their Rice Road residence. Jurors learned the reason for that shooting during the trial: Ginger had told her husband she wanted a divorce.

Immediately following the shooting, Blackmon went on the run and was spotted in several counties around Polk during a manhunt that lasted eight days. Amid that search the campuses of Rockmart Middle and Rockmart High School were shut down after it was reported that Blackmon was spotted in the area attempting to get back to the home.

Blackmon was eventually found on his father’s property in Carroll County attempting to evade capture.

“I am thankful for the incredible, professional work of the Polk County Police, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and many surrounding law enforcement agencies who were able to ensure that Jimmy Blackmon was captured and we were able to bring him to justice,” Browning said. “Each and every officer and agent who participated played a vital role in bringing this case to the right conclusion.”

Following his arrest, his case entered a new chapter in the courts.

Blackmon spent time some behind bars, and then secured a bond amount on his murder charges under then Chief Judge Meng Lim in late 2020. Sheriff Johnny Moats went before the court attempting to block the use of Blackmon’s father’s property in Carroll County as surety for the bond, but was denied in 2021.

Judge Lim later reduced the bond and Blackmon was able to get out of jail. He was remanded to the same home where the crime transpired on Rice Road in Rockmart, and on ankle monitoring to ensure he didn’t leave the residence.

After Lim lost a primary challenge and stepped down from the bench in 2022, Blackmon’s case transferred to Judge Mark Murphy, who took over as Chief Judge of the Tallapoosa Circuit Superior Court.

The case continued onward through the courts, but meanwhile law enforcement had their eye on Blackmon and confirmed that despite bond conditions to have no weapons in his possession, Blackmon’s home contained multiple firearms.

His bond went before Judge Murphy and was officially denied after the allegations were proven in hearings in December 2023