Newspaper Page Text
VETERAN DAY,
■ SATURDAY, NOV.,1 IS
VOL. 117 NO. 19 Millen, Ga. 30442 LEGAL ORGAN OF JENKINS COUNTY SINCE 1903 Wednesday, November 8, 2023 • 750
Mobley found not guilty of murder
DEBORAH BENNETT
Millen News Editor
“Thank God! I am free,” cried
Teresa Kim Mobley.
Mobley wept as Ogeechee Circuit
Judge Lovett Bennett read verdicts of
not guilty to all charges against her in
the courtroom of the Jenkins County
Courthouse on Friday, Nov. 3rd.
Mobley was charged in the 2015
murder of Kenith Scott. The charges
were Malice Murder, Felony Murder,
Aggravated Assault, and Possession
of a Knife during the Commission
of a Felony. After hearing two days
of testimony, jurors deliberated for
an hour and half before reaching a
unanimous verdict.
Scott’s body was discovered at
his home on the 600 block of Old
Waynesboro Road on June 2, 2015.
The cause of death was determined to
be the result of 47 sharp force injuries
(stab wounds). Suspects in 2015 were
eventually cleared, and the case went
cold until 2021 when DNA evidence
was resubmitted and processed by
the Georgia Bureau of Investigation
(GBI) Crime Lab and entered into the
Combine DNA Index System (CO-
DIS). Mobley’s DNA was entered into
the system for a probation sentence.
A match was made connecting her to
Scott, and Mobley was arrested for the
crime in 2021. She has been incarcer
ated since that time.
Assistant District Attorneys Casey
Blount and Jenny Parker built their
case on the forensic evidence gath
ered at the crime scene, interviews
with Mobley, crime scene photos,
testimony from witnesses, and from
law enforcement officers who worked
the case.
Defense Attorney William Fleming
called no witnesses. He first stated that
Mobley would testify in her defense,
but when the time came to do so, she
changed her mind and did not take
the stand. Fleming sought to prove
“reasonable doubt” by questioning the
methods and practices used to gather
and test items and the
lack of testing of other SEE
items at the crime scene. VERDICT
He also called atten- 3
The families of Kenith Scott and Teresa Kim Mobley sat on separate sides of
the courtroom during the trial of Mobley for the murder of Scott. Following
the verdict of not guilty, however, family members met in the aisle, crying
and hugging each other.
Millen Rotary Club Secretary/Treasurer Wanda Burke and President-Elect Brian
Nunnally are shown participating in the Monster Mash held on Cotton Avenue
Oct. 31st. Youth “walked the plank” right on over to the Rotary table for delicious
treasure!
Rocker and Shumake
in Run-off for Mayor
DEBORAH BENNETT
Millen News Editor
Incumbent Mayor King Rocker
and former City Councilman
Gionvanni Shumake will face each
other in a run-off election to the
fill the seat of Mayor of the City of
Millen. The date of the run-off will
be announced at a later date.
In the City of Millen’s General
Election held Tuesday, Rocker polled
314 votes, and Shumake received
347 votes. Mike Dann received 80
votes, and Terry Hearn polled 12
votes.
Incumbent City Councilman Robin
Scott, District #1, was unopposed in
King Rocker Gionvanni Shumake
his bid for re-election, and he polled
272 votes.
Incumbent Councilman, District
#2, Darrel Clifton, received 268 votes
and challenger Shanelle Carr received
62 votes.
In the District #1 Special Election,
Joel Carter received 178 votes, and
Willie Lockhart polled 109 votes.
Scott and Mobley
families move forward
DEBORAH BENNETT
Millen News Editor
The Scotts and the Mobleys live in
the same neighborhood. They grew
up together, went to school together,
played ball together and shared
their lives with each other. Then,
the unthinkable happened! In 2021,
Teresa Kim Mobley was charged with
the 2015 murder of Kenith Scott.
During the murder trial of Mobley
last week, members of
the two families, who
had once been so close,
sat on opposite sides
SEE
TRIUMP
5
Korean film crew to produce
documentary on Chong Un Kim
DEBORAH BENNETT
Millen News Editor
The recent identification of the
body of Chong Un Kim is of national
interest in Korea, her native country.
A Korean film crew visited The
Millen News Oct. 31st doing research
for a documentary that will air
nationwide in Korea sometime in
December.
“All of her family is in Korea,
and there is a lot of interest in the
story nationwide,” said Hanki Lee,
producer of the SBS Co., Ltd news
segment, which he said is similar to
“60 Minutes” in the U.S.
Kim’s body was found on Feb.
14, 1988 in a Jenkins County trash
dumpster at the intersection of Kaiser
Road and Old Perkins Road. A local
resident was picking up aluminum
cans around the site when he detected
a strong odor and notified law
enforcement. The body of a woman
was discovered in the dumpster and
remained unidentified for 38 years.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation
(GBI) announced in October that the
mystery had been solved. Advances
in DNA testing technology enabled
the identification of the body as that
of Chong Un Kim of Hinesville, Ga.
The 100% identification was made
with DNA submitted by Kim’s sister
in Korea to a genealogical DNA bank.
Lee said that his research reveals
that Kim married someone in the
military and moved to Hinesville in
1981. After a few years, the couple
divorced, and her husband moved
away. Kim lived in Hinesville until
1988.
“One of the reasons it took so long
to identify her is that her friends
in Hinesville didn’t know she was
missing. They just assumed she had
moved away. And, her family in
Korea assumed that they had just
lost contact with her. She was never
reported as missing,” Lee said.
“The composite sketches and news
articles that ran in this area were never
publicized in Hinesville,” he said.
’’The family didn’t know that she was
dead until the DNA match was made.
They were notified then.”
Lee said that researching the case is
difficult due to the fact that many of
those directly involved with the case
have now passed away.
Archives of The Millen News
were reviewed and filmed by the
production crew, and the editor was
interviewed for the documentary.
The GBI is asking anyone who
may have known Chong Un Kim,
or who may have information about
this case, to contact the GBI at 912-
871- 1121. Anonymous tips can
also be submitted by calling 1-800-
597-TIPS (8477), online at gbi.
georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or
by downloading the See Something,
Send Something mobile app.
Hanki Lee, producer, SBS Co., Ltd, is shown with a crew member as they
film and review archives of The Millen News relating to the Chong Un Kim
murder case.
