Roswell man shoots girlfriend
Says slaying was accidental
by Rosemary TaylorMarch 17, 2005
A Roswell man told police he shot his girlfriend by accident Friday afternoon March 11, but police have charged the man with murder.

Roswell Police said Amanda Lea Haywood, 19, of Cumming was shot with a shotgun at close range under her left breast by her boyfriend Jeffrey Ferrell Hill, 28, of Roswell. The incident occurred around 1:10 p.m. at Hill's home at 1040 Wellers Court off Houze Road.

When police responded to the scene Hill told them he had shot Haywood by accident.

"She said something smart and I picked up the shotgun, pointed it at her and pulled the trigger. The gun went. I thought the gun was empty," said Hill to police.

From their preliminary investigation police say the shooting may have resulted from a domestic dispute.

Neighbors said Hill lived with his mother and sister at the home. His sister was present at the time of the slaying.

The entire street was shut down for several hours during the investigation, leading neighbors to wonder initially if the incident had anything to do with the search for Brian Nichols. He was the suspect in the killing earlier that same morning of a Fulton County judge, court reporter and deputy at the courthouse in Atlanta.

"It was very tense around here, because nobody knew what was going on at first," said one neighbor.

Once Haywood's body was removed and Hill was escorted from the house in handcuffs, police told neighbors there was no connection.

Haywood was taken by ambulance to North Fulton Regional Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Hill was arrested and bound over to Fulton County Superior Court on charges of murder, felony murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.