District Attorney Keith Higgins announced that Ricky Ricardo Easterling, 52, of Brunswick, GA, entered a negotiated guilty plea in Glynn County Superior Court on July 1, 2024. Easterling pleaded guilty to Malice Murder, two counts of Felony Murder, and two counts of Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
The case details reveal that the homicide occurred on May 20, 2023, around 1:00 am near Nazzaro’s restaurant at Retreat Village on St. Simons Island. Officers from the Glynn County Police Department (GCPD) responded to reports of gunshots and found Dawn Newbauer, 53, of Brunswick, deceased with two gunshot wounds to her head. She was discovered lying across the trunk and rear windshield of her vehicle.
Video footage from a nearby business captured a Tan Ford Sport Trac leaving the scene approximately 45 seconds after the shots were fired. This same vehicle was later recorded going the wrong way in a traffic circle while leaving the island on dash camera footage from a responding officer. The suspect vehicle was subsequently stopped by Brunswick Police for a traffic violation with Easterling as the driver and sole occupant. The vehicle was towed, and Easterling was cited and released.
Following a “be on the lookout” (BOLO) alert for the suspect vehicle, GCPD investigators learned from Brunswick Police that they had previously stopped the same vehicle and tracked it to Concord Suites where it had been towed. Surveillance footage showed Easterling retrieving two bags from his truck before it was towed and placing them in his girlfriend’s vehicle's trunk.
Search warrants led to the discovery of two firearms in those bags: a shotgun and a handgun. The investigation revealed that Easterling and Newbauer had been involved in an intimate relationship. During an interview with GCPD, Easterling placed himself at the scene but denied involvement in the murder. However, his fingerprints were found inside Newbauer’s vehicle.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed that the handgun found in Easterling’s girlfriend’s vehicle matched shell casings collected at the crime scene.
On July 1, 2024, Ricky Ricardo Easterling pled guilty before Chief Judge Stephen G. Scarlett Sr., receiving a sentence of life with the possibility of parole as part of a negotiated plea resolution.
Assistant District Attorney Leland McElveen prosecuted this case for the State. The homicide investigation was led by GCPD Detective Anthony Clark. "Detective Clark and the Glynn County Police Department should be commended for doing a phenomenal job investigating this case which ultimately led to its successful prosecution," stated Higgins.
Members of the media seeking further information may contact the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office at 912-554-7200.