Multiple guilty verdicts in man’s 2023 murder in Gilligan’s Island area of Camden County
ByActionNewsJax.com News Staff
Frank Patrick Kennedy (left) and Anthony Scott Mistretta Frank Patrick Kennedy (left) and Anthony Scott Mistretta were found guilty of the 2023 murder of 29-year-old John Andrew Mamph. (Camden County Sheriff's Office)
Frank Patrick Kennedy, 56, and Anthony Scott Mistretta, 29, were found guilty April 2 of malice murder, felony murder, and other felony charges in the killing of 29-year-old John Andrew Mamph, the District Attorney’s Office for the Brunswick Judicial Circuit announced in a news release Wednesday.
During the trial, Deputy Chief ADA Hal Moroz presented 15 witnesses and dozens of evidentiary exhibits.
After the guilty verdict, Kennedy and Mistretta were sentenced by Superior Court Judge Anthony Harrison to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The District Attorney’s Office said Mamph’s killing was a “brutal, torture and murder.”
Kennedy and Mistretta “beat and hog-tied Mamph near his homeless encampment at ‘Gilligan’s Island’” on Wednesday, July 5, 2023, the District Attorney’s Office said.
Gilligan’s Island is a remote area off Highway 40 in St. Marys.
Investigators said Kennedy and Mistretta put Mamph onto a boat at a nearby lake, weighed his body down with weights, and then submerged him in the water.
A person jet skiing with his family discovered Mamph’s body the next day, Thursday, July 6, 2023, “in the clear water,” the District Attorney’s Office said.
St. Marys Police Department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation identified and located suspects and conducted interviews at SMPD headquarters late Thursday, July 6, 2023, and into the early morning on Friday, July 7, 2023.
After the interviews, “sufficient evidence was gathered to confirm the circumstances” leading to Mamph’s death, and the five arrests were made, SMPD said at the time of the arrests.
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Gilligan's Island Five people have been arrested for murder after a man’s body was found Thursday in the water. (WJAX)
Crime scene Crime scene tape can be seen at Gilligan's Island, in St. Marys, Ga. (WJAX)
Chaotic scene Action News Jax went to an area around Gilligan’s Island and found what looked to be a homeless camp. (WJAX)
Crime scene The area around Gilligan's Island where an investigation led to 5 arrests. (WJAX)
Eerie scene Homeless camp near the area where a body was found on Thursday in St. Marys, Ga. (WJAX)
Gilligan's Island More evidence of the homeless population around Gilligan's Island. (WJAX)
Abandoned car? A car was at the scene where the body of a man was found in the water of Gilligan's Island. (WJAX)
The scene The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says that after numerous interviews throughout Thursday night and Friday morning, they got enough evidence to arrest and charge each of 5 suspects with murder. (WJAX)
People's belongings Several homeless camps and people's belongings were near the area where a body was found. (WJAX)
GBI investigation The Georgia Bureau of Investigations said the victim and 5 suspects were associates and not strangers. (WJAC)
Crime scene An area around Gilligan's Island that still has police tape up. (WJAX)
Homeless population More homeless camps around Gilligan's Island. (WJAX)
Gilligan's Island More evidence of the homeless population around Gilligan's Island. (WJAX)
Homeless camp A homeless camp around Gilligan's Island where a body was found in the water. (WJAX)
Garbage left behind Garbage left behind near Gilligan's Island. (WJAX)
Area of activity The area around Gilligan's Island seems to have a sizable homeless population. (WJAX)
Murder investigation Five suspects have been arrested and charged with murder in St. Marys. (WJAX)
Police tape An area around Gilligan's Island that still has police tape up. (WJAX)
Living conditions More evidence of the homeless population around Gilligan's Island. (WJAX)
Scene of the crime A car in the area where investigators were piecing together what happened to a man found dead in the water. (WJAX)
Other suspects plead guilty
Originally, five people were arrested in connection with Mamph’s murder. Here is the current status of those defendants who entered pleas before Kennedy and Mistretta’s trial:
Debra Leane Dougherty, 38, pleaded guilty to felony murder and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. Dougherty will spend 30 years in prison before she is eligible for parole.
Bernice Rose McGuire, 27, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and has yet to be sentenced.
Megan Leigh Robison, 34, who initially lied to law enforcement about her knowledge of the events on July 5, 2023, pleaded guilty to making a false statement and was sentenced to 5 years’ probation.
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Arraignments set for suspects in 2023 Gilligan’s Island murder in Camden County Five people have been indicted after a man’s body was found July 2023 in the water near an area known as Gilligan’s Island. Police have identified the man found as 29-year-old John Andrew Mamph. From top left, clockwise: Debra Leane Doughtery; Frank Patrick Kennedy III; Bernice Rose McGuire; Megan Leigh Robison; Anthony Scott Mistretta. (Camden County Sheriff's Office)
Anthony Scott Mistretta, 27, of St. Marys Anthony Scott Mistretta, 27, of St. Marys (Camden County Sheriff's Office)
Frank Patrick Kennedy III, 55, of St. Marys Frank Patrick Kennedy III, 55, of St. Marys (Camden County Sheriff's Office)
Debra Leane Doughtery, 36, of St. Marys Debra Leane Doughtery, 36, of St. Marys (Camden County Sheriff's Office)
Bernice Rose McGuire, 25, Kingsland Bernice Rose McGuire, 25, Kingsland (Camden County Sheriff's Office)
Megan Leigh Robison, 33, of St. Marys Megan Leigh Robison, 33, of St. Marys (Camden County Sheriff's Office)
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