Friends of victims, suspect speak on tragedy of Augusta double slaying
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Deputies say a husband killed his wife and stepdaughter Sunday night. Then deputies found him dead and say he turned the gun on himself.
Now we’re learning more about the two victims, mother Tammy Briggs and her daughter April Williams, and the man accused of killing them, James Lamont Briggs.
“It’s a tragedy. ... It is. She’s going to be missed, I mean, she’s going to be missed,” said Shonta Bradley, who knew Tammy Briggs for more than 40 years. They were elementary school pals turned long-time friends.
She says Tammy never had the need to be front and center but never failed to cheer you on from the sidelines.
“I started a nonprofit recently called Butterflies Are Blue, and I had been talking to her about it,” Bradley said. “And when I started it, she was the first to , she was like, ‘what can I do to help you?’”
But what happened at Copse Drive was a complete shock, especially to friends who say she tended to be private about her personal life.
“We talked very often, she never alluded to anything going on. She has this perfect little family” Bradley said.
She says Tammy used to work for University Healthcare System, but had recently been doing consulting work in IT.
Friends say her daughter April was a responsible young adult, in college, with a ion for fashion design, but with a little more spunk than her mom.
“Yeah, she was sassy (laughs). Typical teen, you know, young lady,” Bradley said.
In our coverage, we told you about the past behind the husband, James Briggs, the one police say they believe killed Tammy and her daughter.
Our I-Team found a lengthy rap sheet, including at least a dozen charges from the 80′s when Briggs was in his 20s.
We also found a Pennsylvania newspaper article from 1982 where Briggs was arrested after a string of supermarket robberies.
Later in 2011, he was charged with forgery and sent to prison.
We spoke to his ex-wife, Terry, who described him as a good guy who had a strong desire to have a family. She did not want to go on camera.
“It was a shock. He loved, loved his babies. He just wanted a family. I don’t know what made him tick he was a good guy.” She said. “When the detectives called me this morning and said they were looking for him, I knew he was going to kill himself. He was not going to go back to prison.”
The ex-wife knew about his past but said he really turned things around when he got out of prison and got a job at Plant Vogtle. They divorced shortly after that because he really wanted kids.
She says he seemed to have made that dream come true. He had a son with another woman, and then met Tammy and had a second daughter, who’s about four years old now. So, when she heard the news today, she couldn’t’ believe it.
And as for the friends left trying to grieve, nothing can bring Tammy or April back.
“I was angry, I was very angry and that’s something that I have to work on over time. But I’m still very angry because she didn’t deserve for her life to end that way,” Bradley said.
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