Toccoa Man Pleads Guilty In 2012 Murder

A man charged with malice murder in Stephens County has entered a guilty plea, avoiding a possible death penalty trial.

24-year-old Shannon Iceal Maxwell of Toccoa pleaded guilty Wednesday in Stephens County Superior Court to a host of charges.

Those charges include felony murder, burglary, criminal attempt to commit a felony, two counts of aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

For his plea, Maxwell received a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole after serving 25 years in prison.

Maxwell was charged in connection with the murder of two men in April 2012 in Eastanollee.

Authorities had charged Maxwell, along with Wardell Deloun White and Larrist Elcondo Mack, both of Toccoa, with murder and related charges in connection with the deaths of 48-year-old Mauricio Maldondo and 34-year-old Victor Martinez.

The two men were found shot on April 29, 2012 at their residence on Sunset Road in Eastanollee.

The other two suspects, White and Mack, continue to await trial in the case and could face the death penalty if convicted.