Drug dealer sentenced to life without the possibility of parole

On August 23, 2018, a jury in Putnam County convicted Thurston Waller for Sale of Cocaine in Violation of the Georgia Controlled Substances Act. The jury, having considered video evidence of Mr. Waller’s crimes and previous sales of controlled substances, took less than 10 minutes to reach its verdict. The District Attorney’s Office filed a notice of intent to treat Mr. Waller as a recidivist pursuant to Georgia Law and, after having been convicted on at least 6 other occasions of felony crimes, Mr. Waller was sentenced by Judge Terry Massey to a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Mr. Wright Barksdale was the lead prosecutor on the case.