Richard Sigman, 47, now faces a murder charge in the death of 18-year-old Anna Jones. According to police in Carrollton, a college town located about 50 miles west of Atlanta, Sigman threatened to pull his gun during a verbal altercation with another man in a pizza parlor parking lot at 12:30 a.m. Saturday. The man alerted a security guard, and when the security guard saw that Sigman was indeed armed, police said he asked him to leave. But Sigman pulled away and began shooting at a vehicle parked in the lot near Adamson Square, a busy nightlife district in downtown Carrollton. One of the bullets hit Jones, although it is unclear if she was the intended target or if she knew Sigman. Her friends took her to a hospital where she was pronounced dead, police said. In a GoFundMe set up to cover funeral expenses, Jones was described as “a beautiful, sweet soul” whose “smile would light up a room.” “This was a devastating and senseless crime that has left many hearts broken, a community grieving and a family grieving,” the fundraiser said. Relatives and friends also took to social media to express their grief and shock, with one friend writing that “to know Anna was to love Anna”. Stephanie Hodges, one of Jones’ former teachers, wrote that the 18-year-old freshman planned to become a teacher herself, having a natural ability to work with children. Another friend, Emma Phillips, described Jones as “endlessly kind, selfless, extremely loving, hilarious and overall the life of the party. She was just full of life and love. She had such love for her family, her friends and her home, Mount Zion.” “I remember many times he would buy me clothes, dinner, even pay for my nails to be done because I didn’t have money and he wanted me to feel included,” Phillips wrote. “That’s just how it was… Whatever I needed, he was there to give it. I wish I could be half as selfless as her.” A relative told The Daily Beast on Sunday afternoon that the family was not yet ready to speak publicly about Jones’ death. Zoie Whitestone, who was one of Sigman’s students last semester, told The Daily Beast Sigman taught senior management classes. “Many of us had him a few months ago and would never have suspected this,” he said. The University has since fired Sigman. “On behalf of the university, we wish to extend our deepest condolences to Anna’s family and many friends,” said UWG President Dr. Brendan Kelly, in the statement. “We know this news is difficult to process and affects many members of our university community. We ask that you keep Anna’s family, friends and everyone who has been touched by this tragedy in your thoughts during this extremely difficult time.”
