Justice for Jordan and Jaylen: Support Their Appeal

We, the family, friends, and supporters of Jordan Mullis and Jaylen Smith, are currently enduring one of the toughest and most grievous trials life has thrown at us. Tragedy struck, and many lives are forever changed as a result. Jordan and Jaylen were just 18 and 19 years old. They had just graduated high school and were just beginning to experience the world. They were eating at Chick-fil-A and received a phone call asking them to meet a girl who owed Jordan some money. Jordan attempted through several messages to just get the person to come to him. However, the girl insisted on meeting in a dark church parking lot inside a gated community. So they finally agreed, and after arriving at the church, the girl told them they could sit in her back seat. Very shortly after settling into her car, a person dressed in all black, wearing a ski mask over their face and holding a rifle at the boys, approached the car from the shadows of the unused church lot. In this horrific moment, Jordan and Jaylen's instincts for life preservation were immediately sparked to life, and the threat was tragically eliminated. Out of fear, everyone fled the scene, except the man in the mask. We would later come to learn that this man was no older than Jordan and Jaylen. A fresh high school graduate, just 18 years old and just starting out in life. A life sadly cut short. We all mourn the loss of any life as it is all God-given and precious beyond measure. My heart bleeds for the family, friends, and other loved ones of Montaveous Raines. However, I also mourn for Jordan and Jaylen because they were robbed of their lives as well. These boys did not set out on their evening with violence in their plans. They didn't expect anyone to be there with the girl they were meeting, and I can't help but feel they were victims as well.

About a week later, the local authorities rounded up Jordan, Jaylen, and Mia. All three of them were charged with some form of murder among other charges. It took 3 1/2 years before they were able to get to trial. By then, Mia had taken an involuntary manslaughter plea for 10 years in prison. Jordan and Jaylen went to trial together. They made it through jury selection, and then shortly into the trial, the judge presiding over the case threw out the indictment because there were not enough grand juror votes. The required number of votes is 16-23, and there were only 15. A short time later, the state was able to get a legal indictment, and they went to trial again. This time, the case was again thrown out by the judge due to a witness making inappropriate statements. August 2025 rolls around, and they are back in trial again. This time, the defense entered a motion to dismiss because they had become aware that the state had lost critical evidence to the case. There had been an external hard drive with digital evidence for the case that contained all of the text messages between the parties involved and also a digital video from a nearby Ring door cam. Investigator Sanders was the person responsible for the evidence and apparently damaged the hard drive, consequently corrupting the files to the point that they could not be recovered. Mind you, this evidence had been previously viewed and was known to contain video of Mia and Montaveous prior to Jordan and Jaylen arriving. In the video, Montaveous was said to be wearing all black, a ski mask over his face, and handling a rifle as well. This piece of evidence was crucial to the case for the defense because it basically proved their version of the night's events. Conveniently, however, the state loses it, and the judge rules that it was only potentially beneficial to the defense and allowed the trial to proceed without it. Now, in all the research that I have done, this type of evidence is referred to as exculpatory evidence. This is any type of evidence that either potentially proves the defense's innocence or shows lesser culpability on their behalf. I feel that video did exactly the latter. Without this evidence, the prosecution proceeded to say the defense fabricated their version of events. Oddly enough, I have also researched the National District Attorneys Association standards of conduct, and one of the first points mentioned is that it is the ethical obligation of anyone working for the DA's office to seek justice, not blind convictions without proper investigation. It also mentions that they are not permitted to lie. Well, I feel both of these standards of conduct have been intentionally violated by Bibb County, therefore violating the rights of the defense. Jordan and Jaylen have never changed their story from the day they were arrested, and they have never claimed that a life wasn't lost at their hands. They have, however, insisted that they were in fear for their lives and reacted accordingly. Not one person from that evening is innocent. And all of them except for Mia were victims of manipulation. I don't feel it was anyone's intention to take life that evening. Unfortunately, in attempting to intimidate Jordan and Jaylen into handing over whatever valuables they were thought to have, the act worked far better than could have been expected and caused such a state of horror that they reacted in the only way they knew would eliminate the threat. Ultimately, when the closing arguments had been made and it was time for a decision, the jury was asked to come in on a Saturday to deliberate and were not offered lunch until after they were finished. I feel they were tired from the week-long trial, ready to go home to their families, and definitely famished from a long day with no food, causing them to rush through the decision that was nothing to take lightly. The charges against Jordan and Jaylen were malice murder and felony murder. On the first count, they were both found not guilty. On the second count, they were found guilty. Felony murder carries anywhere from life with the possibility of parole to life without the possibility of parole, and it can also carry the death penalty. At the sentencing, it was decided that they would serve life with the possibility of parole. What this equates to in the state of Georgia is that they must serve 30 years before they are eligible for parole. If they don't get it, then they have to wait 8 more years. This is cruel and unjust punishment from an unfair trial and a bunch of corrupt, unethical state employees. The family of these boys is seeking to appeal this decision in hopes of eventually getting to have a fair trial. If you have kindly taken the time to read our story and agree that these boys should be allowed another chance at life, and would like to help us in making that happen by contributing to our current efforts to retain a professional, intelligent, experienced, confident and capable attorney. An attorney that is not from around here. Local attorneys are all still part of this corrupt circle and they turn their head to the procedural misconduct that goes on here in Bibb county. And so if you feel so compelled to donate towards our cause, we kindly accept all donations through this fundraising outlet. All funds, if any, donated, will go to the cost of an attorney. For all who read about our story, thank you for your time. If you do not agree with our perspective then you are entitled to your own views, and we respect your freedom of thought. We do however respectfully ask you, please do not clutter the cyber waves with negativity and ugly comments as this is a sensitive topic for all involved. Thank you for your time and hopefully your contribution to our cause. Have a blessed life