Jamari Christmas, 21, of Kennesaw, entered a plea of guilty last week to voluntary manslaughter in the killing of a former friend and was sentenced to 18 years in prison followed by 7 years on probation.

The plea was announced by Cobb County District Attorney Flynn D. Broady, Jr. and included a count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

The public information release described the incident leading to the arrest and conviction as follows:

On December 22, 2021, officers responded to a “person shot” call in the area of Busbee Parkway near Townpark Drive in Cobb County. When officers arrived, they found victim Majik Broussard on the ground. After transport for medical treatment he died of his injuries. Jamari Christmas, who stayed on scene, was detained. During the investigation, detectives with Cobb County Police learned that Christmas and Broussard were former friends who had a falling out but still lived near one another. Christmas claimed he had a prior altercation with the victim a few weeks prior and believed that the victim wanted to fight again, and he did not. Christmas produced a handgun and shot him twice in the torso and leg.

Cobb County Superior Court Judge Jason D. Marbutt accepted the guilty plea.

Marbutt addresses the defendant.

“You owe it to Majik, his family and to yourself to make something of your life,” he said.

Family members spoke about Broussard’s life and the impact of his death on the family.

Christmas apologized to the family during the hearing. 

Assistant District Attorney Jay Winkler prosecuted the case.

Marietta attorney Richard Blevins represented Christmas at the plea.

After the plea, ADA Winkler said, “This case was a tragedy that resulted from the all too common use of firearms to settle disputes. My heart goes out to the Broussard family for their strength and compassion in coping with this tragedy.”