Boring Negotiates Guilty Plea, To Serve Seven Years

Matthew Alan Boring, 35, negotiated a guilty plea deal Tuesday resulting in seven years of confinement for his role in a vehicle accident that killed Daylan Norwood in December 2023.

The sentence was the result of a hearing held during a criminal court session in the Putnam County Courtroom under the jurisdiction of Judge Stephen Bradley. Mr. Boring’s lawyers Melinda Johnson and Bryan Frost appeared in Jasper Superior Court last week to seek more time from Judge Bradley for negotiations with the District Attorney’s (DA) Office. Those negotiations came to a conclusion in Eatonton after several continuances that Judge Bradley and DA T. Wright Barksdale had grown weary of since the December 2023 incident.

Mr. Boring was indicted on five counts in 2024 stemming from the incident that resulted in the death of Mr. Norwood. The defendant was charged with two counts of homicide by vehicle in the first degree, hit and run, reckless driving, and racing on highways or streets.

Wayne Owenby, Jr. was also indicted on charges from that incident and is currently serving a 10 year prison sentence for his involvement after negotiating a plea in October 2024.

Upon striking a plea deal for Mr. Boring with the defense, DA Barksdale reviewed the details of the case. He said that Mr. Norwood’s death was a result of a murder by vehicular homicide caused by reckless driving on Hwy. 212 West when Mr. Boring and Mr. Owenby were racing vehicles on December 30 after drinking for hours on end. The DA explained that after an extensive investigation of the facts in this case it was determined that the vehicle of the deceased was struck by Mr. Owenby’s vehicle during the race but that both offenders left the scene of the crime without reporting anything to officials. It wasn’t until a individual driving by, who observed that the victim was seriously injured and still alive, that emergency personnel were called to the scene.

DA Barksdale noted that when Mr. Owenby, Mr. Boring, and their wives were questioned about the incident on the following day all parties lied about events surrounding the accident. The state’s attorney said it wasn’t until a young boy with details surrounding events of that night spoke out that the case was cracked.

Family members of the deceased were in the courtroom and Jasper County Victim’s Advocate Linda Standifer read a written statement from the family including Daylan’s parents, Shaveka Lawrence and Willie Norwood. Excerpts from that letter included:

“The past few years have been the hardest to bear. Our loved one has no future. Our son was left in the middle of the night. with no help. He was hurt, confused, and alone,” said the statement. “To the men who created this hole in our family, I hope you reflect on what those actions have done to our family. Think if this had happened to your son and how you would feel.”

Mr. Boring had previously entered a not guilty plea to the indicted charges. With the plea deal, counts 2-5 were dismissed and he was sentenced on one count of homicide by vehicle in the first degree as a first offender. The defendant’s attorneys asked that he be granted 30 days to turn himself into authorities in order to get his affairs in order and requested the records be sealed. Judge Bradley allowed the 30 days with a June 13, 2025 report date to jail but denied the sealing of the records.

Mr. Boring was also ordered to pay $6,000 in restitution to Victim’s Advocate. A civil case has also been filed by the family of the deceased victim.