’I just need him at home,’ grandmother says at hearing for Columbus man charged in mother’s death
The grandmother of an 18-year-old charged in the fatal shooting of his mother had just one thing to say about him in Recorder’s Court on Friday: he didn’t do it.
Caron Giles made his first appearance in Recorder’s Court after being charged in the Oct. 1 shooting of his mother, 45-year-old Lachasta Giles. On the first day of October, police officers were called to the Springfield Crossing Apartments on 3320 North Lumpkin Road around 12:30 a.m.
Detective Zachary Cole testified in court that the 911 caller, who lives in the same complex, heard one gunshot outside of her window. Upon looking outside, she saw one person running across the parking lot.
When police arrived four minutes later, they found Lachasta Giles wounded in the parking lot near building 10 in the complex. She later died of her injuries at 1:04 a.m, police said.
Personal items, including a purse and .9 mm shell casings were recovered at the scene. Police later conducted a search warrant of the Giles’ residence, where a .9 mm handgun was found under the mattress in Caron’s room, in addition to various magazines and ammunition.
According to Cole, prior to the search warrant, police had never been to the Giles’ residence.
Cole testified that ballistic comparison tests completed by the GBI on Oct. 22 advised that the handgun recovered was most likely to be the weapon that killed Lachasta Giles. That same day, Caron Giles was asked to come in for questioning.
According to police, Caron said he handled the firearm the night his mother was killed, but hadn’t used it since February when he bought it off of the street. The night of the shooting, Caron grabbed the handgun from underneath his mattress, but later returned it, police say.
Officers are currently trying to track down potential witnesses to the case as there potentially could’ve been a confrontation before the shooting occurred, Cole said.
Among those in the courtroom on Friday were members of Caron’s family, including his grandmother, Emma Brown.
“I know my grandson didn’t do it. They were too close,” Brown said. “He wouldn’t kill this woman. I just need him at home.”
Judge Julius Hunter bound the case over to Muscogee Superior Court.