Terminology and Definitions Used on This Site
This page defines how specific terms are used throughout this site. Definitions are locked to ensure consistency, accuracy, and clarity over time.
Homicide
“Homicide” is used to describe a death caused by the actions of another person. The term is used both:
- Formally, to refer to the official manner of death as determined by the coroner and recorded on the Georgia death certificate; and
- Generally, to describe the nature of the criminal investigation and contemporary reporting that treated the death as a homicide investigation.
“Homicide” is a classification, not a criminal charge. Use of the term does not imply arrest, prosecution, or conviction.
Murder
“Murder” refers to a specific criminal offense that requires formal charging and prosecution by the state.
This site does not use “murder” as a descriptive term. The term appears only in verbatim quotations from source documents or when describing the offense in general legal terms.
Cause of Death
“Cause of death” refers to the medical mechanism of death and the proximate physical cause when documented in official records.
In this case, the medical mechanism of death was exsanguination resulting from a gunshot wound.
The cause of death describes how death occurred medically, not why or by whom.
Manner of Death
“Manner of death” refers only to the official classification assigned by the coroner and recorded on the death certificate.
In this case, the manner of death was ruled homicide.
The term is not used descriptively or colloquially.
Ruled
“Ruled” is used only to describe a formal determination made by an authorized official body and recorded in an official document.
The term is not used for investigative opinions, media characterizations, or family conclusions.
Confirmed
“Confirmed” refers only to written verification by an authorized official that aligns with an existing formal determination.
Verbal statements, recollections, or media summaries are not described as confirmations.
Open
“Open” means that the case has not been formally closed by the investigating agency.
The term describes administrative status only and does not imply active investigation.
Unsolved
“Unsolved” means that no person has been formally charged or convicted in connection with the crime.
The term does not imply lack of effort or absence of investigative activity.
Closed
“Closed” means that a case has been formally closed by the investigating agency as an administrative action, regardless of resolution.
This site uses the phrase “never closed” where supported by the record.
No Statute of Limitations
“No statute of limitations” means there is no time limit under applicable law for bringing criminal charges if sufficient evidence exists.
The term does not imply an obligation to prosecute or likelihood of prosecution.
Investigation
“Investigation” refers to evidence gathering and inquiry conducted by law enforcement agencies.
The term does not include prosecution or court proceedings.
Prosecution
“Prosecution” refers to the formal filing and pursuit of criminal charges by a prosecuting authority.
The term is used only when charges have been filed.
Evidence
“Evidence” refers only to materials that are documented, recorded, or formally collected as part of an official investigation or legal process.
Verbal statements, memories, or undocumented assertions are not labeled as evidence.
Information
“Information” refers to statements or explanations provided by individuals, including law enforcement, that are not documented in surviving records.
Information is not presented as proof.
Recollection
“Recollection” refers to personal memory of events or conversations offered without documentary substantiation.
Recollection is labeled clearly and separated from the factual record.
Suspect
The term “suspect” is not used on this site.
The absence of named suspects in public reporting is not treated as evidence that no suspect existed. Judicial restrictions limited public disclosure during the investigation.
Person of Interest
The term “person of interest” is not used on this site.
Public silence is not interpreted as absence of investigative focus.
Circumstantial Evidence
“Circumstantial evidence” refers to evidence that implies a fact but does not directly establish it through eyewitness testimony or direct documentation.
Circumstantial evidence is not labeled or characterized on this site. The factual record presents only what is directly documented in official records and contemporaneous reporting.