Homer Murder Victim Identified

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR Radio, Lavonia

Banks County officials have released the identity of a murder victim found in home in Homer last week.

According to Banks County Sheriff’s spokesperson Sgt. Carrissa McFaddin, the victim is identified as Sonya Gale Phelps, 48, of Homer.

McFaddin said Phelps died from ligature strangulation and blunt force head injury.

Last week, Banks County Sheriff Carlton Speed said his deputies were called to a home on McDonald Circle early Thursday morning.

“Authorities were dispatched to conduct a welfare check at 1100 block of McDonald Circle at approximately 1a Thursday morning,” Speed said. “The occupants of the residence allowed deputies entrance into the home where they located a deceased person.”

GBI agents were called in to assist in the investigation and Phelps body was taken to the GBI crime lab for autopsy and identification.

“After investigative interviews, along with the autopsy of the body, Billy Charles Lewallen has been charged with malice murder, and also concealing a dead body,” McFaddin said. “Investigators determined the body had been in the house for several days.”

McFaddin said Tuesday that Phelps was the girlfriend of Lewallen and lived in the McDonald Circle home with him.

Authorities say however, there were never any reports of domestic abuse or violence at that home before the murder.  Lewallen remains in the Banks County Detention Center.