Wilkinson Co. man get life sentence in fatal shooting of his brother

Published 3:19 pm Monday, June 23, 2025

IRWINTON, Ga. — A Wilkinson County jury deliberated a little less than three hours June 18, before finding an elderly man guilty of murder in the shooting death of his older brother nearly two years ago.

It marked the second time in three months that 69-year-old Rickey Lee Shinholster had stood trial for killing Ezekiel Shinholster Jr. The first trial ended in a mistrial with Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Brenda H. Trammell on the bench.

Trammell did not preside over the second trial. The second trial was presided over by Superior Court Judge Stephen A. Bradley.

Twelve jurors returned from deliberations and into the courtroom about 2:45 p.m. with their verdict in the case.

Jurors found Rickey Shinholster guilty on charges of malice murder, felony murder and aggravated assault.

Bradley sentenced him to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

Shinsholster was represented by Carl Cansino, a defense attorney whose law firm is located in Milledgeville.

He was prosecuted by Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit Senior Assistant District Attorney Brent Cochran and Assistant District Attorney Eesha Kumar. The victim advocate in the case was Merilyn Chatman.

Rickey Lee Shinholster was involved in a verbal argument with 73-year-old Ezekiel Shinholster Jr. on the night of July 9, 2023, according to Cochran, the lead prosecutor.

The two brothers had a longstanding feud, Cochran told The Union-Recorder in a telephone interview. The brothers’ last argument escalated with Rickey Lee Shinholster taking out a Glock 9mm pistol and shooting his older brother to death. The argument and subsequent fatal shooting took place at the Shinholster’s residence on the 800 block of Farish Wood Road in Wilkinson County.

Deputies with the Wilkinson County Sheriff’s Office along with Sheriff Richard Chatman and Rod Chatman, who serves as both chief deputy and chief investigator, arrived shortly after the shooting was reported to a 911 dispatcher.

Sheriff Chatman later notified Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Mary Chandler for assistance in investigating the homicide case and processing the crime scene.

Several witnesses testified during the three-day trial, including eight prosecution witnesses.

One of the state’s witnesses was a former special agent with the GBI, Mason Manning, who was assigned as the case agent at the time of the fatal shooting. Manning, who now works with the U.S. Office of Homeland Security in California, was flown back to Georgia to testify.

Chief Deputy Rod Chatman was also a state’s witness along with Deputy Lt. Kyle McDade.

McKenzie Cantrell, a former crime scene specialist with the GBI Region 6 Office in Milledgeville was also a state’s witness.

Donald Shinholster, the eldest brother of Rickey Lee Shinholster and the late Ezekiel Shinholster, also testified on behalf of the state during the trial, according to the lead assistant district attorney.

Cochran said Donald Shinholster was present at the time of the argument between his brothers.

“This was something that had been building up over the years between these two brothers,” Cochran said.

The lead assistant district attorney said the argument then became a shouting match and that Donald, the eldest brother, tried to separate his brothers.

Rickey was armed with a loaded 9 mm pistol. Ezekiel had a handgun in the back pocket of his pants but it wasn’t loaded and he never pulled it out, according to Donald Shinholster during testimony. The victim didn’t have a round in the chamber of his gun.

Cochran said no one knew Ezekiel had a gun.

“The issue in the trial was that it was a self-defense argument and that the shooting happened because the defendant alleged that the victim came at him with a screwdriver and tried to stab him,” Cochran said.

That was Rickey Lee Shinholster’s testimony when took the witness stand in his defense.

He was the only witness that Cansino called to testify on behalf of the defense.

Cochran said he questioned Rickey Lee Shinholster during cross-examination.

“His story was that he was about to be stabbed with a screwdriver by his brother and that was why he shot him,” Cochran said.

But Rickey Lee Shinholster never mentioned “one single thing about his brother coming at him with a screwdriver,” in the statements to law enforcement after he was arrested, Cochran said.

A screwdriver was found at the crime scene.

“…It was laying right next to the victim,” Cochran said.

He said Rickey Lee Shinholster was given opportunities to recount what happened while he underwent questioning by law enforcement officers.

“They were very open with him,” Cochran said. “We weren’t there. Tell us what happened. And he told them, but he didn’t say a single word about the screwdriver. So, we figured he told the screwdriver story to save himself from being convicted of killing his brother.”

Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit District Attorney T. Wright Barksdale III called Rickey Lee Shinholster’s senseless.

“Our prayers and thoughts are with the Shinholster family as they continue to heal from the horrible events that took place on the night of July 9, 2023,” Barksdale said in a prepared statement.