A Georgia mechanic was found guilty of murder in the death of one of his friends, whose remains were found along a “stretch of highway” about five years after authorities said he had been shot to death.
Raymond Leverett was handed a life sentence in connection with the September 2018 killing of John Flemming, who was known by his loved ones as “J3,” the Macon Judicial District Attorney’s Office announced in a Saturday, January 24, news release.
Leverett’s sentence, which comes “without the possibility of parole plus life consecutive,” was issued after a jury convicted him of malice murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault, and felony murder, according to the district attorney’s office.
Information on Leverett’s legal representation was not immediately available.
“Justice has been served for John Flemming and his family,” District Attorney Anita R. Howard said in a statement. “This verdict holds Raymond Leverett accountable for a profound betrayal of trust that ended in tragedy.”
Prosecutors said Leverett fatally shot Flemming on September 19, 2018, after authorities said Flemming went to Leverett seeking “repayment for” overdue “automotive work” he had already paid Leverett to complete.
The men were known to be friends, the Macon Telegraph reported.
In the days leading up to the killing, Leverett and Flemming were reported to be at odds with each other when Leverett took about five months to work on a Chevy that Flemming had left with him, according to the newspaper.
Leverett ultimately began planning to kill Flemming, according to prosecutors, the newspaper reported.
Leverett is accused of fatally shooting Flemming after he had driven his friend to a doctor appointment in connection with the treatment for a rattlesnake bite, according to the Telegraph.
Following the hospital visit, Leverett allegedly “lured” Fleming to a warehouse where he shot him to death, the newspaper reported.
Flemming’s girlfriend reported him missing that month, WGXA reported. He was 53 when he died.
Years later, in 2023, Flemming’s remains were found along a highway in East Macon, according to prosecutors.
During the jury trial, the district attorney’s office said that “The State successfully proved that financial pressures led Leverett to commit this crime.”
The office said evidence collected by the Bibb County Sheriff’s Department, Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the FBI implicated Leverett in the murder.
Some of the evidence included phone records that revealed Leverett was with Flemming the day he was killed, according to prosecutors.
Flemmings’ car was also located in a warehouse, which was owned by Leverett’s former boss, the district attorney’s office said.
Leverett is also accused of pawning off Flemming’s personal belongings following the killing.
Witnesses also testified to Leverett’s “financial situation and sudden access to cash on the day of the murder,” prosecutors said.
Before reading Leverett’s sentence in court, Judge Connie Williford addressed Flemming’s loved ones, according to the Telegraph, and said, “Nothing that occurs here can undo what has been done.”
“But please know that this court has solemn respect for the life of John Fleming III and the remarkable love and strength of his large family and many friends,” Williford added.
More than half of the courtroom was made up of Flemming’s relatives and friends, the newspaper reported.
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