Michael Nix found guilty in murder trial

ALBANY — A Dougherty County jury found Michael Nix guilty on all charges he faced in the 2024 shooting death of Lorne Odom outside a local pool hall, a case that hinged on whether the killing was self-defense or an unjustified use of deadly force.

The jury, after a 48-minute deliberation, found Nix guilty of malice murder, felony murder, and related crimes in the fatal shooting. Jurors received the case after two days of testimony that included surveillance video, witness accounts and Nix’s own testimony after he chose to take the stand.

Dougherty County District Attorney Greg Edwards argued that Odom was unarmed and attempting to disengage when he was shot.

“Lorne Odom did not do anything to attack Michael Nix,” Edwards told the jury. “Lorne Odom was unarmed. Lorne Odom, when the gun was pulled on him, surrendered, (saying), ‘Don’t shoot me, man.’”

Edwards said the confrontation escalated as Odom tried to flee.

“He surrendered. Lorne turned and tried to run from Michael Nix,” the district attorney said said. “Michael Nix shot Lorne Odom in the back.”

Prosecutors also argued that the violence continued after the shooting.

“After shooting him in the back, (Nix) jumps on him and continues to beat him with his fists,” Edwards said.

Central to the state’s case was surveillance footage from outside Break Time Pub & Billiards, which Edwards said captured the entire encounter.

“Everything that I told you is recorded on video,” he said. “The whole thing that I just described is recorded.”

Edwards concluded by tying the evidence to the charges.

“This defendant committed malicious murder, aggravated assault, and had a gun in the commission of the crime,” Edwards said. “Trial is a search for the truth. Your verdict should speak the truth … this defendant is guilty as charged.”

According to incident reports, officers responded to Break Time Pub & Billiards around 10:32 p.m. on Oct. 4, 2024, in reference to a shooting. Odom was found in the parking lot with a gunshot wound to the back and was transported to Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, where he later died.

Reports say that Nix had been escorted from the business by Odom when he pulled out a gun, chased Odom and fired, striking him in the lower back.

Nix was taken to the Dougherty County Jail, where he has remained since the incident.

Jurors also heard testimony from Jodi Jacobs, a manager at the pool hall, who described both the environment inside the business and the events leading up to the shooting.

“It’s always a good environment in there,” Jacobs testified.

She said Nix’s behavior escalated before the shooting, saying that he “refused to leave by himself and argued and got louder and louder.”

Witnesses described Odom as generally nonconfrontational.

The defense argued that Nix feared for his safety and reacted to what he perceived as a real threat, challenging the credibility of state witnesses and contending prosecutors failed to prove malice beyond a reasonable doubt.

Attorneys also sought to reduce the charge to voluntary manslaughter, arguing the encounter was emotionally charged and escalated quickly. Judge Victoria Darrisaw denied that request, ruling that the legal standard for provocation had not been met.