BUTTS COUNTY, Ga. — A groom shot and killed his bride’s stepfather hours after the wedding ceremony, but the sheriff said he should not be charged with murder.
Butts County Sheriff Gary Long says the felony murder charge against Aaron White for the July 2024 shooting on his wedding night marks the first time since he became sheriff 13 years ago that he has publicly disagreed with his district attorney.
“Clearest case of self- defense that I have personally seen in 30 years of law enforcement,” Long told Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne.
Jonathan Adams says did the right thing as the DA.
“You better be right if you’re going to kill someone,” he said.
The sheriff says it’s undisputed that White shot and killed 44-year-old Jason Maughon, but he does not believe he committed a crime.
“I’m feeling it’s a life-or-death situation, I’ve got to get to my weapon,” White said.
The bride, Kailagh White, said she liked her stepfather, but she is standing by her husband.
“I just have to have faith the truth will come out eventually,” she said.
District Attorney Adams and Sheriff Long agreed things went south after the wedding, when the bride told an apparently inebriated relative he was acting inappropriately and needed to leave.
They fought, and her new husband got involved.
“(It was) time to separate them. This ain’t right,” Aaron White recalled.
Maughon, perhaps upset about the tussle with the relative, punched White in the face.
Minutes later, Maughon and the relative who fought with the bride returned. The relative fired a gun, he differs with multiple witnesses on when, and a gunshot hit Aaron White’s hand.
Maughon then chased White, who made it to his truck.
“I was able to draw my weapon, defended myself and everybody else,” Aaron White said.
Sheriff Long says his office investigated, but he also called in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for an independent look.
DA Adams says a 2025 grand jury found self-defense and declined to charge White for the homicide. White and others were indicted for aggravated assault, but the DA dismissed that charge.
This month, Adams presented the case to a second grand jury, which did indict Aaron White for felony murder and aggravated assault.
Adams says the key issue is whether Aaron White should’ve responded to Maughon with a gun or his hands.
“It’s a question of a jury to determine whether or not the defendant had a reasonable belief of receiving serious bodily injuries,” the district attorney said.
Sheriff Long says the DA’s decision flies in the face of what he’s taught citizens in gun safety classes, which the DA has also joined in.
“People will be hesitant to defend themselves for the mere fact of coming to jail for murder,” the sheriff said.
Dan Maughon the father of Jason Maughon, said no parent should have to bury their child.
“We’re just gonna let the state of Georgia and the district attorney’s office and all of the law enforcement settle this thing,” he said.
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