Left: Shawn Bolden Jr. (Chatham County Sheriff”s Office). Right: Deanna Ellison (Lakes Dunson Robertson Funeral Home).
A Georgia man has been sentenced to life in prison for fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend multiple times in front of their infant child.
Shawn Bolden Jr., aged 33, received a life sentence plus an additional five years for the murder of 29-year-old Deanna Ellison in 2021, as documented in court records.
According to the Chatham County District Attorney’s Office, Bolden was found guilty in December on charges of malice and felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during a crime.
“Bolden unloaded his 9mm revolver into Deanna, reloaded, and continued firing at her,” prosecutors detailed in a statement.
Prosecutors revealed that Ellison ended the relationship after Bolden struck her on Mother’s Day in 2020 for inviting her mother over for dinner. At the time, Ellison was about three months pregnant. Despite their breakup, the couple had agreed to co-parent their child.
On May 6, 2021, nearly a year later, neighbors alerted the Port Wentworth Police Department after hearing gunshots and witnessing a man fleeing Ellison’s residence.
First responders had to kick in the door and heard a screaming child inside.
“What they found was truly heartbreaking: Deanna’s lifeless body covered in blood and nearby the child thrown onto the bed nearly stuck in the headboard, crying and inconsolable,” prosecutors wrote.
Shortly thereafter, an anonymous person called 911 to say Bolden had admitted to shooting Ellison. Police later spotted Bolden’s car about 100 miles away. After a high-speed chase across two counties, troopers with Georgia State Patrol took out his car and took him into custody.
Detectives stated Bolden “lied and tried to manipulate” the investigation while showing “no concern for the well-being of his son or Deanna.”
“It is cases like this one that has the Chatham County DA’s Office more focused than ever on victim’s rights,” District Attorney Shalena Cook Jones said in a statement. “Our commitment to rebuilding the Special Victims Unit bigger and stronger than ever, is a commitment of support to all victims and their families. We will continue to fight harder than ever to assure Deanna’s family and others their memories will remain in the forefront of our minds and hearts and that their deaths or circumstances will never be in vain.”
Ellison’s obituary said she had a “zest for life, a huge personality, a heart of gold and a mind of her very own.”
“She was an incredible person that always looked for the good in every experience and everyone she encountered. Her laugh was so big and bright, that anyone who heard it couldn’t help but feel a sense of joy. Her smile was warm, comforting, and sincere. Her voice was strong and encouraging, and her presence was absolutely felt,” the obituary said.
