Houston County man pleads guilty, sentenced to life with possibility of parole after fatal shooting – 41NBC News

In November 2018, the Warner Robins Police Department found Natasha Reyes, 29, dead on her kitchen floor with multiple gunshot wounds.

HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. (41NBC/WMGT) – 43 Rodney Helms pleaded guilty to intentional murder in Houston County Superior Court on May 28.

According to the Houston County District Attorney’s Office, Helms was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

In November 2018, the Warner Robins Police Department found Natasha Reyes, 29, dead on her kitchen floor with multiple gunshot wounds.

Witnesses told police that Helms, a homeless man, was at Reyes’ house earlier in the day. Reyes had invited Helms inside his house to shelter him from the rain and provide him with food.

Reyes found Helms stealing a handgun and personal items from her home. When Helms was confronted, he shot Reyes multiple times at point-blank range with the gun he had stolen from his bedroom.

Helms fled the scene and was found walking toward a convenience store on Feagin Mill Road shortly after the murder and was taken into custody.

ADA Alicia Gassett released the following statement:

“I am grateful to the Warner Robins Police Department for doing an outstanding job investigating this case and bringing Helms to justice. I also want to thank our office’s investigators, Tom Daly and Jeffery Kujawa, for going above and beyond finding witnesses and helping me prepare this case for prosecution. Reyes was a kind young woman who thought she was helping someone in need only to have her life brutally taken away. I hope and pray that this sentence brings peace to his family and brings closure to this difficult chapter in their lives.

District Attorney William Kendall released the following statement:

“A job well done by the WRPD and the DA’s Office staff. This case is particularly tragic in that Ms. Reyes opened her home to a homeless man to offer him shelter from the rain and food, and as a result, she was murdered. We can’t bring Ms. Reyes back, but we hoped we played a small part in seeking justice and removing a monster from our street. Those who prey on others and take advantage of their kindness should be held accountable for their actions. In this case, Helms will spend at least the next 30 years in prison.