Pisgah Man Changes Not Guilty Plea

Marla Jones, Managing Editor

JACKSON COUNTY, Ala.– A man who pleaded not guilty to the shooting and killing of two people, has withdrawn his original plea of not guilty.

Matthew Edward Garren, 34, originally pleaded not guilty but has since changed his plea to not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect, stating that he “did not fully understand the nature, extent or result of his plea.”

On April 30, 2022 deputies with the Jackson and DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office were called to the scene of a double homicide at a home on County Road 354.

When authorities arrived at the home, they found Horace “Bimbo” Garren, 68, and Christopher Horace Garren, 44 dead from gunshot wounds.

The suspect, Matthew Garren ran into the woods and was found by a search helicopter in DeKalb County.

Garren was charged with murder and was indicted on June 15. He signed a plea of not guilty on June 23.

With the plea change, Garren has been ordered to undergo a mental evaluation hearing scheduled for November 16.

Garren remains in the custody of the Jackson County Jail.