Third Man Charged in 2012 Murder Pleads Guilty

The third and final man charged in a 2012 murder in Stephens County enters a guilty plea and avoids the death penalty.

On his 28th birthday, Wardell Deloun White of Toccoa pleaded guilty to one count of Felony Murder in the death of 34-year-old Victor Martinez.

Martinez, along with 48-year-old Mauricio Maldondo, were found shot on April 29, 2012 at their residence on Sunset Road in Eastanollee.

White also pleaded guilty to one count of Burglary, two counts of Aggravated Assault, one count of Possession of a Firearm during the Commission of a Felony, one count of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and other charges in connection with the case.

In return, prosecutors dropped a host of other charges.

Altogether, White was sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 15 years.

Court officials said he would not be eligible for parole for at least 30 years.

In sentencing White, Mountain Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Chan Caudell called these murders a dark period in Stephens County history.

Caudell said this crime “shook the community to its foundation” and opened its eyes to some things, including the scourge of drugs in the area.

“I hope a message is sent to the people of this area that you cannot undo what may be done in a split second, so it is easier to not travel down a road of drugs, death, and destruction,” said Caudell. “If you go that route, you are looking at a long time in prison.”

At sentencing today, White apologized for his actions, saying he made very bad decisions.

“I am sorry for the pain I have caused,” said White, speaking to both Martinez’s family and his family.

Mountain Judicial Circuit Assistant District Attorney Rick Bridgeman said he hopes that White will use this and talk to others in prison who will get out so that they do not repeat his mistakes.

“White has forever changed the course of his future,” said Bridgeman.

Meanwhile, Cristina Yost, the mother of Martinez’s son, also spoke.

“I just want justice so he can rest in peace,” she said, adding she also wanted justice for their son.

White, along with Shannon Iceal Maxwell and Larrist Elcondo Mack, also of Toccoa, could have faced the death penalty if convicted at trial in the deaths of Martinez and Maldondo.

Maxwell pleaded guilty in February to felony murder and other charges and received life in prison with the possibility of parole after serving 25 years. Meanwhile, Mack pleaded guilty in August to malice murder, felony murder, and other charges and received a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 30 years in prison.