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Crime & Courts, News

Burke grand jury declines to indict Girard man in 2022 death

A Burke County grand jury entered a no-bill this week clearing Joshua Hammock in the 2022 death of Jason Fort. Photo courtesy Burke County Sheriff's Office

Date: June 15, 2024
By Susan McCord

A Burke County grand jury declined to indict a Girard man accused of killing a family friend while he was retrieving belongings for his father.

Jason Fort

The grand jury heard evidence and entered a “no-bill” against Joshua G. Hammock in the death of Anthony “Jason” Fort, according to a statement from Augusta Circuit District Attorney Jared Williams.

The December 2022 killing happened at a home on Tom Bargeron Road in Sardis. Authorities at the time said Hammock, then 37, shot Fort, 48, after a confrontation.

Fort’s former wife, Betty, told local media earlier this year the DA’s office was slow to indict in a crime she personally witnessed.

Fort, an Army veteran, was a carpenter, father and grandfather.

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The Author

Susan McCord is a veteran journalist and writer who began her career at publications in Asheville, N.C. She spent nearly a decade at newspapers across rural southwest Georgia, then returned to her Augusta hometown for a position at the print daily. She’s a graduate of the Academy of Richmond County and the University of Georgia. Susan is dedicated to transparency and ethics, both in her work and in the beats she covers. She is the recipient of multiple awards, including a Ravitch Fiscal Reporting Fellowship, first place for hard news writing from the Georgia Press Association and the Morris Communications Community Service Award. **Not involved with Augusta Press editorials

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