A Georgia couple’s celebration of a new marriage ended in a fatal confrontation, leading to a complex legal battle over the boundaries of self-defense.
Aaron Derek White, 33, now faces felony murder and aggravated assault charges following a January 2026 grand jury indictment, Local 12 reports.
The charges stem from the July 2024 death of 44-year-old Jason Maughon, identified as the stepfather of White’s bride, Kailagh.
According to investigators from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and the Butts County Sheriff’s Office, the day began with a tense confrontation between Maughon and another relative before they arrived separately at the ceremony.
Upon arrival, the situation escalated. Authorities stated the relative began discharging a firearm. During the chaos, Maughon charged at White and allegedly struck him in the face.
White told investigators that in response to the physical assault, he retrieved a gun from his truck and began shooting.
An autopsy report later revealed that Maughon had been shot seven times.
White maintained that his actions were a necessary response to a perceived threat. Speaking to WSB-TV, White explained his state of mind during the altercation:
“The last time I saw him, he was threatening to cut me, so it’s a fear for my life.”
His wife, Kailagh, has remained steadfast in her support and expressed her joy at marrying him while claiming White acted in self-defense.
“I got to marry my best friend,” she said.
Even Butts County Sheriff Gary Long also stated that he believed White’s actions constituted self-defense.
Towaliga Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jonathan Adams brought the case before a second grand jury earlier this year, after a grand jury declined to indict White in April 2024. The first grand jury cited a lack of sufficient evidence.
The prosecution’s argument hinged on whether the use of a firearm was a proportional response to a physical altercation.
District Attorney Adams clarified that while White had the right to defend himself, the “deadly” nature of that defense is the point of contention.
“I believe there had been a fist fight, so this isn’t a question of self-defense. However, the law requires a person to have a reasonable belief of receiving serious bodily injury or death before they can use deadly force,” Adams said, according to Jackson Progress-Argus.
“In this case, we have an unarmed man shot seven times, and I believe it is a question for the people of Butts County to decide through a grand jury and trial jury.”
On Wednesday, police arrested White, who was later released on a $100,000 bond, according to WSB-TV.
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[Feature Photo: Jason Maughon/GBI]
