Buford Man Sentenced to Life for Killing Teen in Botched Drug Robbery

A Buford man has been sentenced to life in prison for the fatal shooting of a teenager during a failed drug robbery. On Thursday evening, a Gwinnett County jury found Jaiden Williams, 20, guilty of two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, criminal attempt to commit a felony, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. The charges stem from the July 26, 2021, death of 17-year-old Orbit Pough III.

District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson remarked, “The victim’s family suffered a tragic loss. The defendant was only 17 years old when he took the victim’s life. This sentence will be a long and hard lesson for him to learn from. But we simply cannot tolerate our young people following such violent paths.”

The trial revealed that Williams, then 17, had arranged to buy a THC vape cartridge from Pough but arrived at the meeting at a Kroger parking lot in Grayson without any money, only a firearm. Although evidence suggested the two were strangers, Williams claimed they were friends and stated that he shot Pough after feeling threatened.

Investigators determined that Pough died from a gunshot wound to his side, inflicted at close range. Pough was also armed and fired a shot in response, which struck Williams in the neck, resulting in paralysis from the waist down.

Williams was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole, along with five years on probation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Han Chung, Investigator Christina Newman, and Victims’ Advocates Shenita Coward, Sonia Davis-Bey, and Esther Askew. Officer C. Lymber of the Gwinnett County Police Department led the investigation.