Near the city of Thomaston, Georgia, a paraplegic man named Troymaine Johnson, 33, was found dead near a hunting camp. The strange thing about his death was that since he was a paraplegic, many wondered how he got there in the first place. That mystery is now over as police arrested his girlfriend, Ruby Kate Coursey, 27, for murder.
According to family members, Johnson was planning to go to the store with Coursey and left his wheelchair behind when he was placed in her car, which was on March 16, 2016. Family members were frantic, wondering where Johnson, known as Troy to family, could be. The break came when Coursey’s brother and sister-in-law called police after Coursey stated she pushed Johnson out of her car and left him in the woods to die. Morning low temperatures were below freezing and plunged into the mid-20s on March 16.
His body was found three days later lying next to a hunting camper about 150 yards from the main gate, which had been crashed through. There was red paint on the gate that appeared to match the Saturn VUE Coursey was driving. In a statement to media, Upson County Sheriff Dan Kilgore said, “We contacted the state crime lab and director of the GBI Vernon Keenan was very gracious to expedite the tests. We’re very grateful for that.”
An autopsy was performed and the GBI Crime Lab determined Johnson’s cause of death was homicide due to hypothermia. Police have arrested Coursey and charged her with felony murder and neglect of a disabled adult. Coursey is being held without bond in the Upson County Jail. The sheriff said there was no word on what motivated her to leave Johnson, who was unable to go for help: “He had no mobility.”
