Georgia Supreme Court upholds murder conviction of Oakwood woman who strangled friend, hid body

The Georgia Supreme Court has upheld the murder conviction and life prison sentence of an Oakwood woman who was the ringleader in a 2013 murder.

 

Amy Leanne McGarity, who was 27 at the time of the murder, was convicted on May 9, 2016 in the strangulation death of Kayla Weil, 20, whose remains were found wrapped in a blanket  in October 2013 at Chestnut Ridge Park on Lake Lanier. The park had been closed for several years, and Weil's decomposed body was discovered in a restroom by someone who was conducting clean-up at the park, according to court documentation.

 

Court documents said that McGarity enticed three others to help with the murder and with the disposal of the victim's body after a night of drug use and sex, which occurred in July 2013 at McGarity's residence on Cloud Street in Buford. 

 

McGarity had appealed to the trial court for a new trial, claiming that the evidence presented at trial was insufficient for her conviction. She also claimed the trial court erred by allowing evidence of her bad character to be used during the trial. The trial court turned aside the request for a new trial, and on Monday, April 6, 2020, the Georgia Supreme Court affirmed the lower court's decision.

 

Follow this link to read more information on the case provided by the Georgia Supreme Court.