Georgia man pleads guilty to malice murder of Michigan girlfriend

LMJC District Attorney’s Office

CATOOSA COUNTY — A 34-year-old man from Griffin, Georgia has pled guilty to malice murder of his girlfriend, Jamie Wiley, a 36-year-old Michigan woman.

Joseph Mays, 34, pled guilty on February 10, 2026.

According to the LMJC District Attorney’s Office, Mays and Wiley, who had been dating for a few months, were living in Wiley’s camper at an RV park in Catoosa County.

On the evening of January 17, 2025, Mays shot Wiley in the head while the two were inside the camper.

They say Mays then attempted to conceal the crime by dumping Wiley’s body near the creek alongside the Chief Richard Taylor Nature Trail in Ringgold.

On the morning after the murder, members of a walking group located Wiley’s body off the trail and The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) began investigating the crime.

After determining Wiley’s identity through her fingerprints, GBI agents were directed to Mays by Wiley’s relatives.

Agents interviewed Mays, and he confessed to killing Wiley, although he claimed he had acted in self-defense, according to the LMJC District Attorney’s Office.

However, they say the physical evidence along with Mays actions after the murder were not consistent with a justifiable homicide.

Mays was scheduled for a jury trial in March 2026 and appeared in the Catoosa County Superior Court on February 10 for pretrial motions. At the conclusion of pretrial motions, Mays elected to enter a guilty plea to Malice Murder.

Mays was sentenced to serve life in the Georgia Department of Corrections by Superior Court Judge Don W. Thompson.

After the service of 30 years, Mays may become eligible for parole.