Jury reaches verdict in murder case after Columbus State grad’s death
Nearly two years since Columbus State University graduate Ryan Boles was fatally shot, a jury has found his accused killer guilty of murder and armed robbery, according to Russell County District Attorney Rick Chancey.
Jadarius Snipes, who is now 18 but was a minor at the time, was convicted Thursday in the Russell County Judicial Center. The jury deliberated for about an hour and a half, Chancey said.
Boles was found shot and killed in the parking lot of a Phenix City Synovus Bank branch after a Christmas party in December 2023, the Russell County Coroner’s Office said at the time. He was 23, and was an aspiring filmmaker.
Snipes was arrested the same week as the shooting.
Boles, of Eatonton, Georgia, had earned a bachelor’s degree in communication with a concentration in film production. His accomplishments included:
- Interned on “Cash Out,” the John Travolta movie filmed in Columbus.
- Involved in CSU’s “The Society” film club and the “For The Record” video gaming club.
- Camera operator in CSU’s WCUG-Athletics live-streaming team.
Snipes will be sentenced Nov. 21 at 9 a.m., Chancey said. Chancey said this was not tried as a capital murder case, so the death penalty will not be an option at sentencing. But Chancey will request that Snipes be sentenced to life, he said.
Chancey told the Ledger-Enquirer he is grateful a guilty verdict finally came for Boles’ family.
“It’s been a long nearly two years,” he said. “I’m thankful that the jury was able to understand the principles of the law at issue here, which was the accessory. Being an accessory to a crime makes you just as guilty as the person who commits the crime. I was proud of our Phenix City Police Department for the work they did and the amount of evidence that they were able to give us to put this together.”
Chancey also said he appreciates the victim of another robbery committed minutes before Boles was shot cooperating with the prosecution.
“I know it’s been tough on him and tough on this family,” Chancey said. “So it’s relief and satisfaction that we got some justice. We can never make it right for the family, but at least we can put this part behind us and let them try to start healing a little bit.”
Chancey said Snipes had an accomplice, who was 13 at the time, involved in the crimes.
“I’m not allowed to comment, per the judge’s orders, on anything involving the minor,” he said.
Chancey, however, added, “Any matters involving him are resolved.”
This story was originally published October 23, 2025 at 2:40 PM.