Three Convicted for 2021 Murder of Ft. Oglethorpe Man in Plot Lured via Social Media

On September 27, 2024, a Catoosa County jury convicted 21-year-old Keishann Rowe, 20-year-old Keonte Ragland, and 19-year-old Deonna Ragland for the murder of 19-year-old Jaylon Eberhardt, who was fatally shot on September 23, 2021. The case stemmed from a series of events that led to Eberhardt’s death at the hands of the defendants, after being lured to the Catoosa Gardens Apartments under false pretenses.

The jury heard evidence during the week-long trial that Keonte Ragland had been in a series of disagreements with Eberhardt in the weeks prior to the murder. On the afternoon of September 23, 2021, the Ragland siblings, along with Rowe and another associate, Malachi Housley, were smoking marijuana at the Ragland residence. They noticed Eberhardt walking through the complex, which they viewed as a disrespectful act.

In a calculated effort, Deonna Ragland, then 16, communicated with Eberhardt over Snapchat, arranging to meet him outside. As Eberhardt walked to the apartment complex, unaware of the trap, Rowe and Housley were positioned to intercept and ambush him. When Eberhardt arrived at the playground, Deonna Ragland informed him that she would not be meeting him and he began to walk back home. At that point, Rowe and Housley followed Eberhardt, and as he neared the Oglethorpe Ridge Apartments, Housley shot him in the back and leg.

Despite being shot, Eberhardt attempted to run, collapsing on the doorstep of a Catoosa County law enforcement officer, where he died. The investigation quickly led to incriminating text messages and social media posts from the defendants, including one where Deonna Ragland expressed surprise upon hearing of Eberhardt’s death.

Housley, who had pleaded guilty to felony murder and aggravated assault in 2023, provided key details, and the group’s conspiracy was further solidified by the recovered text evidence. Following the trial, the three defendants were sentenced to life in prison for felony murder and aggravated assault.

The case was investigated by Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Steve Rogers Jr., and prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Deanna Reisman and Zachary Trippe.