High court overturns Catoosa woman’s murder conviction

RINGGOLD — Georgia’s Supreme Court has overturned a Catoosa County woman’s 2004 murder conviction, nearly 17 years after her 1-year-old son was severely burned in a house fire that ultimately contributed to his death. She will still have to serve a 20 year federal prison sentence on other charges.

Suzette Marie Calloway, and her husband Christopher Pierre Hicks, were involved in the manufacturing and selling of methamphetamine in the early 2000s.

On Feb. 17, 2001, a batch of meth being cooked in the home caught fire and engulfed the apartment in flames. The couple’s son, 15-month-old Chelton, was in his crib sleeping when the fire broke out, causing burns to the child’s face, scalp, arms and leg. The baby died on June 17, 2001.

They were both convicted on federal drug charges in December 2002 and then later convicted on a felony murder charge in Catoosa County.

On Monday, Feb. 5, Justice Nels S.D. Peterson wrote that under state law, because she already had been convicted in federal court of several crimes related to manufacturing meth, Calloway could not be prosecuted subsequently in state court for felony murder involving the same conduct.

For now, Calloway is serving her time in a Hawkinsville prison, while Hicks is still serving a life sentence.