Yeshua Mathis said he got caught up with the wrong friends.
One minute, they were planning a harmless prank. But then things quickly spiraled into a deadly situation on Feb. 20, 2023, and Mathis found himself in the middle of it all.
For nearly two years, he faced murder charges and lived in a cell at the Fayette County Jail. On Oct. 31, he was finally allowed to return home after being found not guilty.
Now, Mathis is focused on using his harrowing experience to mentor teenagers about the dangers of sticking around “toxic” friends and people with firearms.
“Don’t hang around people with guns. Even if they’ve never done anything bad with it, it only takes one night to turn into a nightmare,” Mathis told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Friday.
Mathis and two others — Jacobean Brown and Justus Smith — were arrested in February 2023 after a 15-year-old girl was found shot to death in her bed at her family’s Peachtree City apartment, officials said. The men were 18 at the time.
Brown was convicted of murder and other charges in July and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Prosecutors previously said he snuck in through the bedroom window and shot Madison Gesswein in the head with a pistol. Smith’s case remains open.
Mathis’ attorney, Clint Barbour, confirmed the details and said prosecutors never had any evidence linking his client to the actual killing. Mathis had no prior legal issues, according to Barbour, besides a traffic citation.
“Yeshua and Justus thought they were going over there to play a prank,” Barbour said, adding that they planned to squirt the victim with soap and dump water on her.
Gesswein had been texting all of them, claiming she was “wanting to fight and all this stuff,” Barbour said. He described it as “teenage stuff” between kids who all lived near each other. Mathis and Gesswein both attended Whitewater High School.
As they prepared for the prank, Mathis picked up Smith and Brown. Barbour said Brown insisted on driving, and Mathis eventually handed over the keys to his car.
When they arrived at the Greens at Braelinn apartment complex, Barbour said Brown went to the back of the building and climbed through a window. Mathis heard some commotion and went to look inside.
That’s when he realized it was no longer just a prank, and then things started spiraling out of control.
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“Jacobean got the gun to her head. Yeshua was trying to talk him out of it. He’s like, ‘Just dump the soap and the water,’ and they go back and forth. And Yeshua eventually turns away and starts to leave ... and he hears the gun go off and he just runs,” Barbour said.
Mathis ran off, but he eventually went back to the complex and got in his car with Brown and Smith. Brown, who still had the keys, then drove away, and at some point disposed of the gun.
“I was just scared. I was really freaked out,” Mathis recounted.
Mathis spent almost two years in jail waiting for his trial. Waiting to share with the judge and jury what actually happened. He said his faith in God kept him strong as the months went by.
Barbour said the jury deliberated for less than two hours before returning a not guilty verdict.
Kate Lenhard, the administrative chief assistant district attorney with the Griffin Judicial Circuit, told the AJC in a statement that their office disagrees with the verdict but respects the decision of the jury.
“Unfortunately, there are times when a jury considers evidence in a different way than we do. That is the very nature of the criminal justice system,” Lenhard said. “Our hearts continue to go out to Madison’s family, and we pray they find peace in the days ahead.”
Mathis has been home for about two weeks.
The first thing he did after being acquitted of murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm was hug his mother. The family then went to Partners II Pizza, a favorite spot from his childhood.
He said he took people’s love, support and advice for granted before going to jail. Now, he hopes his own advice can make a difference in others’ lives, especially his younger brother’s.
“I try to tell him to seize all his opportunities that he can and to really just watch who he hangs out with,” Mathis said, ”and to definitely not be around the wrong people.”
Mathis said he has high school orientation Tuesday and is working toward earning his diploma. He then plans to attend Georgia State University to study music, production and music engineering.
Music has always been his passion, and he aspires to write songs that focus on spirituality. He wants to spread a positive message and encourage others to stay away from violence.
After the trial, Barbour said the judge advised Mathis to make better choices when it came to his friends. Mathis hopes his experience will inspire others to make a change before it’s too late.
“I really want to emphasize that with a lot of children out here, because I feel like a lot of teenagers, you know, don’t realize that, you know, we’re not invincible and that things can happen,” he said.
