ATLANTA — As 2023 comes to a close, 11Alive is reflecting on the investigations that resonated the most among the community. These investigations held the powerful accountable and highlighted issues within Georgia's justice and state systems while looking into possible solutions and making sure people knew all sides to a story.
Here's a list of the most popular investigative stories covered this year. Know that 11Alive Investigates isn't done yet - for some of these stories, the team is just scratching the surface. Follow the team's work here.
There's been scrutiny of how Athens District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez runs her office, which has even amounted to a civil lawsuit that accuses her of committing multiple violations of state open records laws - including asking one of her employees to destroy records. The lawsuit asked for a judge to issue a warrant for Gonzalez's arrest for the alleged records violations.
In an interview, Gonzalez said salaries are to blame, leading to staffing issues. 11Alive crunched some data and found that the issues are more complicated than that.
There are concerns some of the district attorney's decisions could be impacting the road to justice. 11Alive's Rebecca Lindstrom is following up to see if changes within the office will help alleviate the concerns.
Catch up on this story:
Some Georgians are frustrated with their homeowners associations and are trying to fight back against the obstacles they've encountered.
Such obstacles are forcing debts upon homeowners and in some cases, there is no way to get ahold of property management companies. People have lost their homes largely due to fees and the HOA's power.
Now, residents across Georgia are amplifying their calls to lawmakers to do something to provide a form of checks and balances.
More stories on the topic:
An Athens nightclub is fighting back against allegations it played a role in the car crash that killed a UGA football player and staff member. Surveillance video from Toppers International Showbar captures some of Devin Willock and Chandler LeCroy’s final moments.
Lawsuits allege that the bar the two visited overserved LeCroy alcohol and didn't cut her off. The GBI’s autopsy reports her blood alcohol level at more than twice the legal limit: .197.
11Alive analyzed the security video, which shows LeCroy purchased at least one drink. It's not clear how much she had to drink before her visit, either, and the video doesn't show all of her movements. The impact of those drinks and how much she should have been served will be up to attorneys to argue.
LeCroy and Willock's deaths were a tragedy that gripped the Bulldog nation shortly after UGA won its second consecutive football national championship. There are several legal avenues that are still playing out as families work to find closure.
Here are more stories on the wreck. The YouTube playlist below contains footage related to the crash investigation:
After an 11Alive report about a Douglas County firefighter who is a fugitive out of Alabama, the agency fired him.
Georgia taxpayers were paying Daymetrie Williams a salary of $46,000 a year. When 11Alive brought up his criminal history, education and tried to verify the chief's claims about Williams' background checks prior to employment, six months later, the firefighter was fired for allegedly falsifying information on his employment application, giving false statements to his supervisor, and violating county conduct rules, according to a termination letter.
According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the fire department only did a background check on Williams after he was hired. The department ran another background check on Williams nearly a year after he took the job, the GBI said.
Following that reporting, the county placed then-chief Roderick Jolivette on administrative leave as they examined the fire department's hiring practices. In May, Jolivette was terminated.
11Alive is working to learn if Williams has been arrested on his out-of-state warrants.
A man accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend was out on bond at the time of the alleged crime after the Clayton County District Attorney’s Office missed a crucial administrative deadline, court records and District Attorney Tasha Mosley confirmed.
Cameron Hopkins faces malice murder and other charges after allegedly abducting and fatally shooting his 19-year-old ex-girlfriend, Khaliyah Jones, on July 16. Now her family is left wondering how the justice system failed her.
Under current Georgia law, a felony defendant cannot be held in jail without bond for more than 90 days after their arrest without an indictment. If prosecutors do not obtain an indictment within that 90-day timeline, a judge is typically required to grant the defendant bond — regardless of the charges.
More on 11Alive Investigator Zach Merchant's 'Failure to Indict' series:
Two years ago, a man’s bloody body was found in the street.
Javarreis Reid had been shot multiple times and was left lying face-up on the asphalt, according to reports by authorities.
Officer D.J. King was called to the scene. Leading the investigation into the homicide, 11Alive learned King had a secret.
His brother was a suspect - and he didn't tell anyone.
Reid's death would spark an investigation into the Griffin Police Department, ensnaring the careers of the department's police chief and the investigator leading the case.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was summoned to investigate the “handling” of the homicide case, according to a city press release. Now, the district attorney saids she plans to present the GBI's evidence to a grand jury.
Georgia has what’s called a service waiver to help families afford care for adults - but people have been left waiting even more than a decade to get help.
Erin Wentz, a mom who is now dedicated to taking care of her son Gabe full-time, said her son is a runner. Diagnosed with autism as a toddler, Gabe was most recently diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder five years ago. She hopes to get a waiver to help with some care and costs and even considered abandoning her son to the state to get him better healthcare - a reality some parents are faced with.
Turns out, there are a lot of parents desperate for help in Georgia.
Georgia has since approved more money for state-funded waivers for adults with disabilities as part of the 2024 budget. 11Alive Investigator Rebecca Lindstrom is keeping an eye to see how that funding will make a difference.
More on 11Alive Investigator Rebecca Lindstrom's 'Keeping' series:
Hidden "spy" cameras are more affordable and accessible than ever. When it comes to your privacy in Georgia, you may not have as much legal protection as you think.
In Georgia, there is a law that makes it illegal to secretly record someone in “any private place out of public view.” However, it does explicitly allow homeowners to install cameras for security purposes.
11Alive Investigators learned that these cameras aren't as obvious to find as you think. Data from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation also showed in the past year, there have been 153 charges across 53 counties under the unlawful surveillance statute. However, only three resulted in a conviction.
More from 11Alive's Savannah Levins:
It's a headline most parents can't imagine – a caregiver killing their own child or dependent because they can no longer care for them. But it's the reality for an adult care facility for people with profound disabilities in Georgia.
The facility has honored Megan Frix and Amy Hughes but fears other families may turn to unimaginable options. People with disabilities are at a much greater risk of being the victim of violent crime than someone without a disability, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
The families of people with profound disabilities said they often feel misunderstood. They're all calling for the state to increase support for families caring for people with profound disabilities in Georgia – to see their worth and value their story.