Carlos Figueroa, the brother-in-law of slain Richmond County man Alan Newsome, was sentenced Monday to 25 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of aggravated assault and possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime — but not guilty of malice murder.
The split verdict followed a weeklong trial centered around the violent 2022 killing of Newsome, who was found shot and beaten in the street outside Rosetown Trailer Park on March 18, 2022. Figueroa was accused of initiating the fatal chain of events that left Newsome, 25, dead after a confrontation involving Figueroa and three younger men.
Superior Court Judge Jesse C. Stone handed down the maximum sentence for the charges: 20 years for aggravated assault and five years for the weapons offense, to be served consecutively. Figueroa, who had previously been extradited from Florida, was 29 at the time of his arrest.
Reaction to the verdict was swift and emotional. Cheyenne Newsome, the victim’s ex-wife, called the outcome “another failure from the justice system for our family.”
Figueroa’s co-defendants — Brentin Coleman, T’Zaiah Dukes, and Ortegas Jones — have all taken plea deals. Coleman, now 23, agreed to testify against Figueroa last week after pleading guilty to aggravated assault. He has not yet been sentenced. Dukes also testified, while sentencing for all three co-defendants remains pending.
The case drew heightened attention due to the family ties between the victim and defendant. Figueroa is the brother of Nadia Newsome, Alan Newsome’s widow and a six-year deputy with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office. She delivered emotional testimony during the trial, recalling the moment she found her husband’s body in the street and begged for help through frantic 911 calls.
“I saw Alan on the ground, and I jumped out of the vehicle and ran toward him,” she said in court. “He was lying on his back, and I just laid on top of him.”
The fatal night followed a tense evening that began with an argument between the Newsomes in downtown Augusta and escalated to a confrontation outside Garden City Social involving Figueroa and the younger men. Prosecutors said Newsome may have expected a fistfight when he drove to the Rosetown Trailer Park, but was instead pistol-whipped and beaten. They argued Figueroa initiated the violence and helped lure Newsome to the scene.
Defense attorneys maintained that the case against Figueroa was based on weak and inconsistent testimony, especially from younger witnesses who had already accepted plea deals. Attorney Keith Johnson argued that Figueroa tried to de-escalate the confrontation and had called his mother in concern for his sister’s safety.
During her testimony, Nadia Newsome acknowledged her marriage to Alan was troubled and marked by volatility and alcohol, but she denied her brother had ever threatened him.
Figueroa also has prior arrests in Richmond County, including domestic violence and charges related to gang activity and violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
The case has now moved into the sentencing phase for the remaining defendants. No sentencing dates have been announced.
