Georgia man pleads guilty to manslaughter in unfortunate case of mistaken identity

BIBB COUNTY, Ga. — A man accused of the 2021 murder of a Bibb County has pleaded guilty.

Macon District Attorney Anita Howard said on Nov. 16, 39-year-old Michael Maxwell pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and possession of a fire during the commission of a felony in Bibb Superior Court for the death of Antonio Mason.

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On Sept. 23, 2021, officials said Maxwell had called the police to the hotel where he lived.

When authorities arrived, Maxwell told them that people were trying to kill him. Officials said he asked deputies to give him a ride to his sister’s home, where she lived with Mazon.

Authorities said Maxwell was sleeping on the couch in his sister’s house when Mason got home from work.

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Maxwell pushed the door closed on him when he was trying to go inside. Mason tried again to get into the house, but Maxwell, thinking a potential killer was following him, fired one shot through the door, hitting Mason in the chest, the report said.

After Maxwell discovered his mistake, authorities said he dropped the weapon and left the home. He was eventually taken into custody.

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“My heart goes out to these families for their losses in this fatal set of circumstances,” Howard said. “It is my prayer that any individuals who from time to time might suffer from certain mental health issues will be able to seek and to receive proper medical attention when that assistance is needed and before a tragedy strikes.”

Maxwell has been sentenced to 25 years, with the first 17 to be served in prison.

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