A Chatham County man, 31‑year‑old Martez Lamar Pinckney, has been convicted of murder in the 2021 fatal shooting of 28‑year‑old Frankie Fernandez in Savannah, Georgia. After a jury trial in Superior Court, Pinckney was found guilty on all counts, including malice murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
What the case involved
The incident occurred on September 12, 2021, when police responded to a shooting at the Suburban Extended Stay on Abercorn Street around 3:40 p.m. Detectives say Fernandez, who was from Simpsonville, South Carolina, suffered a gunshot wound and later died at the hospital. Pinckney was detained at the scene and had previously served about two years and eight months in prison in Chatham County for burglary and theft by taking.
Evidence and sentencing
At trial, jurors heard evidence including a nearly five‑minute 911 call, video of Pinckney being arrested, surveillance footage from the area, crime‑scene photos, aerial images showing the distance between Pinckney and Fernandez’s body, shell casings, a .40‑caliber pistol linked to him, and the projectile recovered from Fernandez’s body along with autopsy photos. Fernandez is survived by his wife and three children. Pinckney is scheduled to be sentenced by Superior Court Judge Tammy Stokes on April 17.
