WALKER COUNTY, Ga. – On December 9, 2025, a Walker County jury found Marcus Allen Chambers, James Logan Darty, Kayla Michelle McClure, and Brayden Niri Whatley guilty of Malice Murder, two counts of Felony Murder, Criminal Attempt to Commit Armed Robbery, and Aggravated Assault following a six-day jury trial before the Honorable Judge Chris Art.

The convictions arise from the October 31, 2024, shooting death of Dakota Bottomlee at his residence on Johnson Road in Chickamauga, Georgia where deputies with the Walker County Sheriff’s Office discovered Mr. Bottomlee deceased from gunshot wounds.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) were requested to assist with the investigation.

Investigators determined that a struggle had occurred evidenced by a shattered glass coffee table.

Shell casings from two separate firearms were recovered at the scene, along with a casing from a toy firearm.

During the investigation, law enforcement received a tip that McClure had been boasting about her involvement in the shooting.

Subsequent interviews and investigative efforts revealed that Darty, Chambers, and Whatley were also involved.

Search warrants executed on the defendants’ social media accounts uncovered chats and videos documenting the planning, attempted cover-up, and boasting of what was intended to be an armed robbery of Mr. Bottomlee that ultimately resulted in his murder.

A search of Chambers’ residence led to the recovery of a firearm that was being concealed by his brother.

Testing conducted by the GBI Crime Lab confirmed that this firearm matched shell casings found at the crime scene as well as projectiles recovered from the victim during autopsy.

Although the second firearm used in the crime was never recovered, a search of McClure’s residence, where Darty was also staying, revealed an Airsoft pistol, which McClure admitted to pulling the trigger on while at Mr. Bottomlee’s residence.

This case illustrates Georgia’s Party to a Crime law, which holds that when individuals intentionally participate together in the commission of a felony, each participant is legally responsible for the actions of the others carried out during the commission of that felony.

On December 19, 2025, each defendant was sentenced to Life in prison with the possibility of parole.

The case was prosecuted by Chief Assistant District Attorney Lynsay Chapman and Senior Assistant District Attorney Kevin Baugh, with invaluable assistance from Victim Advocate Donna Howell, Administrative Staff Crystal MeNabb, and Investigator Daniel Thacker.