JACKSON, GA – A Georgia man has been indicted on felony murder and aggravated assault charges after a second grand jury reviewed evidence in the fatal shooting of his bride’s stepfather at their wedding reception in 2024.
Aaron Derek White, 33, was indicted in January 2026 by a Butts County grand jury in the death of Jason Maughon, 44. The indictment came after a first grand jury had declined to bring charges in April 2024, shortly after the July 2024 incident.
According to investigators, a confrontation broke out at White’s wedding reception when Maughon struck the groom in the face during a chaotic scene that also involved another relative discharging a firearm. White then went to his truck, retrieved a gun, and shot Maughon seven times.
Maughon was the stepfather of White’s bride, Kailagh. He died at the scene.
White has maintained he acted in self-defense. “The last time I saw him, he was threatening to cut me, so it’s a fear for my life,” White told investigators after the shooting.
District Attorney Jonathan Adams of the Towaliga Judicial Circuit pushed for a second grand jury review after his office determined the evidence warranted further scrutiny. “The law requires reasonable belief of serious bodily injury or death before using deadly force,” Adams said, suggesting the number of shots fired raised questions about proportionality.
Butts County Sheriff Gary Long confirmed White was arrested and released on $100,000 bond following the indictment. The case is expected to center on whether White’s use of lethal force was justified after being punched, or whether retrieving a firearm and shooting Maughon seven times constituted an excessive response.
Kailagh White, the bride, had posted on social media after the wedding that she “got to marry my best friend,” despite the deadly incident at the reception.
A trial date has not yet been set.
