Kenneth Mayes found guilty of voluntary manslaughter in fatal stabbing
A Chatham County Jury found Kenneth Mayes guilty of three counts of voluntary manslaughter, one count of aggravated assault, one count of aggravated battery, and two counts of possession of a knife during the commission of a felony in the 2022 fatal stabbing of James Walter Miller, according to a Chatham County District Attorney’s press release.
On Nov. 1, the jury found Mayes not guilty of one count of possession of a knife during the commission of a felony and vacated two counts of felony murder and aggravated assault.
Mayes was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
The Savannah Police Department (SPD) arrested Mayes on May 17, 2022, in the fatal stabbing of a 51-year-old man at a W. 36th Street residence. The incident began earlier in the day with a dispute between Mayes and Miller, according to a Chatham County District Attorney’s Office press release. The dispute was initially resolved with Mayes leaving the residence. Sometime later, Mayes returned, finding Miller asleep in his bed. Mayes then attacked Miller with a knife, killing him, according to the press release.