A Paine College student from Hephzibah has been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of his father.
According to a search warrant affidavit filed in Richmond County Superior Court, Javon Kyler, 22, told Douglas County Sheriff investigators that he killed his father April 30 and intended to return to Richmond County and kill his mother, grandmother and two uncles. He didn’t continue the violence, however.
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Earl T. Kyler, 58, was found dead in his Douglasville home by a neighbor whom Kyler’s wife asked to check on him. The neighbor had a key to the home. Kyler had been shot several times.
His wife told investigators that she moved out of their home because she feared for her own safety because her stepson had been coming to their home recently. Kyler obtained a temporary order of protection in 2011 against his son based on what he said were threats.
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Kyler had a Ring Doorbell at his home. A recording from it showed Kyler return home the night before he was found, and his son arrived at the home not long afterward. It also recorded the sound of gunshots and Javon Kyler leaving the home and driving away, according to the search warrant affidavit.
The search warrant was obtained to see if Kyler had left evidence of his intentions in his dorm room or in his vehicle in Richmond County. In the vehicle investigators found a .22-caliber handgun and ammunition.
Sandy Hodson is a staff reporter covering courts for The Augusta Press. Reach her at sandy@theaugustapress.com.
