A Gainesville man pleaded guilty to 17 counts after committing two separate shootings within 30 minutes in January.
However, he did not plead guilty to six charges, including three counts of attempted murder, since he argues he didn’t intend to kill anyone or damage any property, Northeastern Judicial Circuit District Attorney Lee Darragh told AJC.com.
Willie Joe Moran pleaded guilty to shooting a Huddle House cook before shooting at two people in a vehicle on Marlow Drive less than 30 minutes later, Darragh said. Moran was arrested in early February for the Jan. 23 incidents, AJC.com previously reported.
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The charges to which he pleaded guilty include several counts of aggravated battery, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and wearing a mask, court records show.
At the Huddle House off Jesse Jewell Parkway, Moran shot cook Michael Benham, 60, of Lula, several times while also chasing Shekeria Thompson around the restaurant, causing her to fall and break her arm, the county’s sheriff’s office previously said.
He also fired at the fleeing woman before her fall in addition to shooting at the floor several times, causing injuries due to shrapnel. Both victims survived their injuries.
MORE: Huddle House cook shot multiple times, critically injured
Moran then went to the 1200 block of Marlow Drive, where Yanira Smith-Rodriguez, 37, was shot in the face while sitting in a parked car with 23-year-old Darvis Peterson, the sheriff’s office said. Smith-Rodriguez survived her injuries, and Peterson was not injured.
Darragh said Smith-Rodriguez suffered a shattered jaw, mutilated tongue, loss of teeth and a fractured chin.
“He’s charged with shooting at a couple of people he does not know and then shooting at two people who maybe he knows,” Darragh said of Moran.
He faces up to 202 years in prison for the 17 charges. The remaining six charges are three counts of attempted murder (which carry 30-year sentences) and three counts of second-degree criminal damage to property, Darragh said.
The damage to property charges stem from two cars that were hit and the restaurant’s tile floor. However, Darragh said his office would have to prove Moran intentionally tried to kill the victims and damage the property to get convictions on those counts.
At the moment, those charges are scheduled to go to trial in February, but Darragh said his office has a “lot of cases and is trying to be economical and reasonable.”
Moran will be sentenced following a trial or if those remaining charges are dropped. Until then, he remains in the Hall County Jail without bond.
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