Eastpoint Fugitive Sentenced to Life for Murder

The following story was written by J.D. Sumner for the April 17 edition of the Albany News Herald, in Albany, GA and is being reprinted with their permission. Local details have been added by Times City Editor David Adlerstein.

An Albany, GA man accused of stabbing the mother of his children to death was sentenced earlier this month to serve the rest of his life plus five years in jail, court officials said.

Earnest Sims III agreed to plead guilty to felony murder and weapons charges and spare the family of the victims a lengthy trial, Assistant District Attorney Shelly Faulk said.

"We agree with Judge (Stephen) Goss. Accepting responsibility and pleading guilty is the most admirable thing Mr. Sims has done," Faulk said.

Sims was sentenced to serve the remainder of his natural life in prison plus five years. Under stricter sentencing standards, the earliest Sims would become eligible for parole would be in 2038, but Faulk said his chances are slim of being paroled on the first try.

Sims stood accused of murdering the mother of his three children and longtime girlfriend Jessica Acres after she had decided to end their relationship August 22, 2007, prosecutors said.

Police reports show he stole a neighbor's car and fled to a former friend's home in Eastpoint, at 1509 State Route 65, the ranch house adjacent to the state forest's East Bay fire tower. Sims was apprehended by the Franklin County Sheriff's Office SWAT team after a standoff on the evening of Aug. 23.

Sims reportedly stabbed himself with a kitchen knife before he was arrested and nearly died while in transit to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, police records show.

"I think he should have got life without possibility of parole, that's my honest opinion," said Odessa Conley, the Eastpoint woman who, along with her son, 15-year-old Shaquille Ray, tipped off law enforcement to Sims' whereabouts after he showed up at her home near the Tate's Hell State Forest's fire lookout station.

"I have a lot of mixed up feelings," she said. "These kids will never see their mom again. In 30 years she's still going to be dead.

"But it's good that he did that (pled guilty)," she said. "That's a lot of stress the kids don't have to go through, reliving their mom's death all over again."

Conley said Sims' brother sent her an apology, "that he was sorry he put me through that." She said a policemen told her Sims had asked that someone tell Conley he was sorry.

The tear gas barrage that flushed Sims from the home left residue that still can be smelled in closets. "You wouldn't think it would be there all this time but that's how strong it was in the house," Conley said.

To offset her loss of household possessions, the sheriff's office gave her $250, and the victims' advocate fund gave her $250 as well. Conley said to replace blinds and curtains alone cost more than $4,500.

"I did get something out of it," she said. "It still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth."

Conley said she was grateful for the outpouring of support from the Eastpoint community from a donation jar at Big Top grocery store, and from the Franklin County Ministerial Alliance. She also received generous donations from George and Pam Mahr, of St. George Island, and from Gulf State Community Bank.

"All the donations were greatly appreciated," she said.

Faulk, the Albany, GA state attorney, said that the plea agreement spares the family the added trauma of having to relive the events of Acres' murder. "They are an extremely amazing family," Faulk said. "And they understood that if we didn't reach an agreement that it would've gone to trial and I would've had to put those children on the stand and that would've been extremely tough on everyone."

Two of Sims' children, twin 7-year-old daughters, are diagnosed with DeGeorge's Syndrome, a genetic disorder that can lead to a variety of physical problems including their ability to speak. Faulk said that calling those children as witnesses would've contributed further to their ordeal.

After sentencing, Faulk said that family members, including Acres' mother, had the opportunity to address Sims.

"She looked at him and told him how the children still ask where their mom is and how difficult it was to explain things to them," Faulk said. "But amazingly enough she said she still managed to forgive him. There wasn't a dry eye in the room."