Decatur woman pleads guilty in 2022 shooting death of husband, sentenced to 20 years

DEKALB COUNTY, GA—A 45-year-old Decatur woman has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for shooting her husband to death, the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office announced.  

On Dec.1, Zenobia Harmon, 45, pleaded guilty to Voluntary Manslaughter, Possession of a Firearm during the Commission of a Felony, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon in connection with the death of her husband, Shedrick Harmon, 44, on Sept.19, 2022.

DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Courtney Johnson, who presided over the plea hearing, handed down the 30-year prison sentence after the conviction by guilty plea.

According to the investigation, officers with the DeKalb County Police Department responded to an emergency call around 3:05 a.m. at a home in the 2400 block of Charleston Terrace in unincorporated Decatur on Sept. 19, 2022. Upon arrival, officers found Shedrick Harmon unresponsive with a gunshot wound to his upper right torso. He was transported to the hospital and succumbed to his injuries.

Zenobia Harmon, who placed the call to 911 after shooting her husband, insisted that it was accidental. She repeatedly told investigators that they had not been arguing. According to her account, two firearms and unfolded laundry were on top of the couple’s bed. She told authorities that she picked up one of the firearms wrong, discharging the weapon and striking the victim.

However, text messages between the couple and accounts from friends and family indicate a history of violence, drug and alcohol use, and infidelity in the relationship, investigators said. The defendant had allegedly threatened the victim with a firearm on several occasions.

The case, assigned to the Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Unit, was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Ashley Johnson, with assistance from Senior Assistant District Miriam Broussard, District Attorney Investigator Justus, and Victim Advocate Veronica Pelaez-Maya. DeKalb County Police Department Detective Wright led the initial investigation.