WOMAN CONVICTED OF VEHICULAR HOMICIDE IN 2018 DEATH OF DECATUR KINDERGARTENER

State v. Michelle Wierson

Decatur, Ga.- DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston announces the conviction by jury trial of an Acworth woman accused of hitting two cars while speeding on a residential street in Decatur and killing a 5-year-old boy.

On Wednesday, February 25, 2026, jurors found Michelle Wierson, 59, guilty but mentally ill of Homicide by Vehicle in the First Degree, and guilty of Reckless Driving for the crash that caused the death of Miles Jenness, 5.

According to the investigation, around 5:13 p.m. on September 27, 2018, Sam Jenness and his son Miles were stopped at a red light at the intersection of Midway Road and South Candler Street in Decatur when Defendant Wierson, who lived in Avondale Estates at the time, rear ended them with her SUV. The force of the crash pushed both vehicles across the intersection and into a grassy area across South Candler Street. Wierson also hit a third vehicle, causing the airbags in that car to deploy. The occupants of the third vehicle were not seriously injured.

Sam Jenness suffered a laceration to the back of his head and briefly lost consciousness. When he woke up, he noticed Miles, who was properly restrained in a car seat at the time of the crash, was unconscious and pinned between the back seat of the car and the front passenger seat.

Neighbors and bystanders helped Sam get Miles out of the car and attempted to render aid. Paramedics transported Miles to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston where doctors determined that the brain and spinal injuries he suffered were not survivable. He died on September 29, 2018.

Defendant Wierson was able to exit her vehicle and was initially calm after the accident. Jenness observed her demeanor change when an off-duty officer with the DeKalb County Police Department (DKPD) arrived on the scene. Wierson became combative and attempted to run into traffic.

Officers from DKPD and MARTA Police took Defendant Wierson into custody and placed her in a MARTA patrol car until officers with the Decatur Police Department arrived. She was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital for evaluation and then to the DeKalb County Jail.

Wierson was driving 51 mph in a 25 mph zone at the time of the crash. Witnesses recounted that she did not appear to apply the brakes. At trial, Defendant Wierson's attorneys claimed that she had a psychotic break and thought God told her that her daughter was in danger and that she needed to save her. Jurors found that she was mentally ill but still criminally responsible, hence, their verdict of guilty but mentally ill.

Today, DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Courtney L. Johnson, who presided over the trial, sentenced Defendant Wierson to 15 years to serve 5 years in custody with the remaining 10 years on probation. Wierson will go into custody at a Department of Corrections Facility and they will determine her treatment plan, in accordance with the guilty but mentally ill conviction for the Vehicular Homicide charge. Additionally, once she is released on probation, she is not allowed to drive during that probationary period, and there are medical/mental health requirements she must comply with for the duration of the sentence.

The case, assigned to the Homicide and Gangs Unit, was prosecuted by Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Josh Geller and Senior Assistant District Attorney Helen Pott, District Attorney Supervising Investigator Jacques Spencer, Investigator Tiffany Edwards, and Victim Advocates LaTonya Gates and Shakoa Harper. Decatur Police Department Detective Hensel led the initial investigation.