BRUNSWICK, Ga (October 15, 2021) – An Appling County man who killed a pedestrian in a hit-and-run crash in Baxley on Mother’s Day 2018 (May 13) was convicted by a jury on September 22, 2021.
Travis Dewayne Carter, 43, of Baxley, was found guilty of homicide by vehicle in the first degree (based on hit and run) and second degree vehicular homicide (based on failure to maintain lane), and hit and run in the death of Kariem Conaway, 46, of Hazlehurst, after he crossed the center line of Sursson Street in Baxley, careened into a Mother’s Day cookout and struck Conaway, knocking him into a ditch and causing fatal injury. Witnesses testified Carter got out of his vehicle, looked at the victim, then got back into his 1990 Chevrolet Caprice without rendering aid and fled the scene.
On October 14, 2021, Superior Court Judge Stephen D. Kelley sentenced Carter to 15 years with 8 years to be served in prison, the remainder on probation.
“This is a tragic case that will forever change the lives of everyone involved,” said Jan Kennedy, an Assistant District Attorney with the Brunswick Judicial Circuit, who prosecuted the case. “Mr. Carter’s callous and reckless actions are compounded by his decision to leave his victim for dead, thinking only of himself. We offer our sincerest sympathies to Mr. Conaway’s family and the witnesses who will forever be impacted by this crime, and we thank the jury for having the courage to convict Mr. Carter for the grief he has caused our community.”
The trial, State of Georgia v. Travis Dewayne Carter, began September 21 with jury selection the day before, and ended September 22 with the jury returning guilty verdicts the same day. Carter was acquitted on charges of homicide by vehicle in the first degree based on driving under the influence and driving under the influence.
For more information about the District Attorney for the Brunswick Judicial Circuit, please visit www.BrunswickDA.org.
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