Man sentenced for murder of Little Caesars manager in Lee County

LEESBURG – A man who pleaded guilty to murder was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the 2024 shooting death of his manager at the Little Caesars restaurant in Leesburg after entering a plea deal. 

Daquan Harris entered a guilty plea in Lee County Superior Court for the murder of Joseph “Joey” Dorminey just hours after a jury was selected Monday. Harris faced seven charges, including murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. 

He entered a guilty plea to malice murder and armed robbery. On malice murder, he was sentenced to life without parole, and on armed robbery, he received 20 years in prison concurrent to his malice murder sentence. 

“This was deliberate. This was premeditated, and this was awful,” Judge James W. Sizemore Jr. said to Harris during the proceedings. 

Chief Assistant District Attorney Tami Peavy-Owen said five charges were dismissed as part of Harris’ guilty plea. In exchange for dismissing those counts, Harris waived all appellate and post-conviction remedies.

Peavy-Owen said this is the outcome the DA’s office hoped for. 

Dorminey was the director of operations for eight Little Caesars in the region. Harris shot Dorminey multiple times from behind, while Dorminey put money in a safe at the 1545 Walnut St. location at about 9:20 p.m. on May 3, 2024. 

In the last five months, at least five Little Caesars franchises have permanently closed across Albany and Lee County, including the one Dorminey worked at.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Joe Chesnut said video evidence of the murder was crucial in solving the case, along with forensic evidence recovered at the scene. Sizemore reviewed surveillance footage from the night of May 3, 2024 that showed Harris shooting Dorminey in the back and then taking an envelope filled with money. 

“We still feel for the family of the victim,” Chesnut said. “We’re just glad the case is resolved, and hopefully this individual won’t be on the street anytime soon.” 

Dorminey’s murder struck the southwest Georgia community in 2024. Known as “Joey” to his friends and family, Dorminey is remembered by his friends and family as someone who was generous and gave back to his community. 

The Albany Herald spoke to friends in May 2024 who described Dorminey as a “hurricane of sunshine,” known for his acts of kindness. 

Chesnut said the GBI doesn’t have a stake in how quickly cases are solved. The Region 3 Investigative Office covers nine counties, some of which have court only twice a year. 

“Obviously, cases in those counties may not come to fruition as quickly as this one,” he said. “This case coming to fruition as quickly as it did had a lot to do with the speed at which we got the investigative case to the District Attorney’s office, the fact that they have grand juries and other court hearings more commonly than some of our smaller counties, and the fact that our agent did a phenomenal job on the case … and then ultimately, the suspect pled guilty.”

The almost 60 prospective jurors who reported to Lee County Superior Court Monday will no longer be needed.