A former law enforcement officer accused of felony homicide by vehicle in a 2024 crash on the Downtown Connector pleaded guilty on two charges and was sentenced to six years in prison this week.
Godreque Newsom was accused of unintentionally killing 27-year-old Abari Meade in a car wreck and fleeing the scene. After initially pleading not guilty and after several delays in the case, he changed his plea under the Georgia First Offender Act this week and was convicted of felony homicide by vehicle and hit-and-run resulting in death, court records show.
His attorney Bruce Harvey, reached Tuesday, said Newsom asked him to share his “sincere remorse.”
“He is a law enforcement officer that has now taken responsibility for doing something so reckless that it ended up in the death of a young man, and that’s not a happy circumstance for anyone,” Harvey said. “I know it weighs on the family. It is going to weigh on Godreque Newsom for the rest of his life.”
Newsom was arrested after his sentencing at the courthouse and has been transferred to the Georgia Department of Corrections’ custody, jail records show. He was sentenced to 15 years, six to serve in custody.
The case was delayed multiple times in the past several months each time the defense attorney filed letters of conflict asking to postpone hearings, court records show. Meade’s mother, Jacqueline Meade, said those delays took a toll on her, and she’s glad the case is finally over.
“I can begin my healing process right now,” she said in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Every month, having to go back and looking for when it’s gonna go back on the calendar ... That was becoming a bit taxing on me, because it’s been two years.”
In the early morning hours of May 27, 2024, Newsom was driving an SUV going 80 mph in a 55 mph zone on the Downtown Connector heading northbound, investigators say. At the section where I-75 and I-85 split, he crossed the gore from I-75 to get across to I-85 and crashed into Abari Meade’s vehicle parked on the shoulder, the AJC previously reported.
Meade had just been in a previous hit-and-run accident and was waiting for police to arrive to file a report when Newsom’s car crashed into him. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition and died of his injuries, according to arrest warrants.
Prosecutors learned from witnesses at the scene that Newsom fled in a separate vehicle that pulled up to the scene and picked him up, Assistant DA Jeffrey Hawkins said in a recent court hearing, according to a transcript of court proceedings.
When contacted by police, Newsom said he was the driver of the vehicle and admitted to leaving the scene, court records show. He was booked into jail over a week later and was released on bond, jail records show.
That bond ended Monday when Newsom was sentenced to a total of 15 years, six in prison and nine on probation, by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Emily Richardson. The defense had asked for a 12-month sentence in custody, while prosecutors requested seven.
Newsom had a lengthy career in law enforcement, dating back to 1990. He formerly worked as a peace officer with the Atlanta Police Department and lieutenant in the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office, where he also unsuccessfully ran for sheriff. He later worked as a Jonesboro police officer, according to Peace Officer Standards and Training records.
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