Insets, left to right: Brandon Dale Frick (Ware County Jail) and Buffy and Jacob Cothern (WTLV). Background: The area in Florida where Frick allegedly killed Jacob Cothern (WTLV).
A 29-year-old individual from Georgia stands accused of fatally shooting his long-term friend in front of the man’s wife. This tragic event unfolded after the couple, who were giving him a ride, stopped the car when the accused allegedly made inappropriate contact with the wife.
Brandon Dale Frick is facing serious charges, including malice murder, illegal discharge of a firearm, and possession of a firearm during a crime, following the death of the 35-year-old victim, Jacob Garrett Cothern, as confirmed by local authorities.
Details from a news release by the Waycross Police Department reveal that officers were dispatched around 8:22 p.m. on March 13 in response to a shooting report near Snelson Street and Old Brunel Street. Upon arrival, they discovered Cothern with multiple gunshot wounds, and he was declared deceased at the scene.
While officers were heading to the location, they encountered Frick a short distance away. He was armed and allegedly trying to escape, but was apprehended without any incident. Frick was subsequently taken to the Ware County Jail, where he was charged with murder.
Buffy Cothern, the wife of the victim, shared her account with NBC affiliate WTLV in Jacksonville, Florida. She was in the driver’s seat when the shooting occurred and has now spoken out about her husband’s final moments. The couple had been giving Frick—a friend from Jacob’s childhood—a ride that fateful night. During the journey, she claims Frick touched her arm inappropriately, leading her to stop the car near Snelson Street, close to a church.
She said the couple had been giving Frick — whom her husband considered a childhood friend — a ride on the night of the shooting. During the drive, she alleged Frick touched her arm inappropriately, prompting her to pull over near Snelson Street, just outside a church.
According to Buffy, her husband told Frick to get out of the vehicle and refused to take him home after what she described as disrespect toward her.
What happened next, she recounted in detail:
“Brandon pulled a gun, shot Jacob one time, and when I see my husband . . . he fell to the ground, and Brandon is telling him, ‘Get up and take me home.’ Jacob’s holding a hand up: ‘No, Brandon, please stop. We don’t have to do it like this.’ When he realized that Jacob couldn’t get up…he shot him again, and casually puts the gun back and just takes off walking. Like no remorse whatsoever.”
Buffy Cothern described her husband as funny, outgoing, and “very loud,” someone who had worked hard to turn his life around. The couple married in 2024 and bonded over their shared commitment to recovery from addiction, she said.
According to Buffy Cothern, her husband had been out of incarceration for nearly two years — longer than he had been in some time — and was making significant strides, including securing a job with Waycross Public Works, earning multiple promotions, and planning to enroll in college while pursuing a commercial driver’s license.
“He provided me the love and consistency that I’ve never had before,” she said.
Frick is being held without bond as the investigation continues. It was not immediately clear when he was scheduled to appear in court.
