GA man sentenced to 25 years for killing mother of 3 he thought of as “sister”

PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. — A Paulding County man has been convicted of killing a woman in 2022.

A 911 caller reported a shooting on Feb. 5, 2022, at 258 Old Locklear Road in Dallas, Georgia.

When deputies arrived, they found Shana Nicole Dover, 35, dead from multiple gunshot wounds.

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Deputies later arrested Justin Blane Smart, 32, on murder and aggravated assault charges. Investigators determined that Dover and Smart, who were not actually related by blood but were very close friends, got in some kind of argument and Smart shot Dover to death.

Deputies arrested Smart, who was still at the home.

Dover, 35, was the mother of three children, according to her obituary.

On May 2, 2024, a Paulding County jury convicted Smart of voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

On May 17, Smart was sentenced to 25 years in prison for killing Dover.

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