A Muscogee County Superior Court jury returned guilty verdicts on May 26, 2026, against Zion Horton, Jaquan Mahone, and Semaj Copeland in connection with the April 2024 shooting death of Daryus Bryant, a 16-year-old athlete at Manchester High School in Columbus, Georgia [1]. The case proceeded to trial on charges of malice murder, felony murder, four counts of aggravated assault, and four counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony [1]. The shooting occurred on prom night, drawing sustained community attention to the circumstances surrounding Bryant's death [1].
The jury convicted all three defendants of felony murder, four counts of aggravated assault, and four counts of firearm possession during a felony [1]. Horton and Mahone were additionally convicted of malice murder [1]. Copeland was acquitted on the malice murder count, resulting in a mixed outcome across defendants on that charge [1]. No hung counts were reported [1].
Sentencing for all three defendants is scheduled for June 23, 2026, before the Muscogee County Superior Court [1]. Under Georgia law, a felony murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison, with the court retaining discretion over parole eligibility. A malice murder conviction likewise carries life imprisonment, and Georgia law generally merges felony murder with malice murder at sentencing when both arise from the same underlying act.
No immediate post-trial motions or appeals were reported as of the verdict date [1]. Given the mandatory sentencing framework applicable to the murder convictions, the June 23 hearing will establish whether Horton and Mahone face life with or without the possibility of parole, and will resolve Copeland's sentence on the remaining counts [1].