The 18-year-old received 45 years for felony murder; a 20-year robbery term will be served at the same time.
COLUMBUS, Ga. — A Russell County judge on Friday sentenced 18-year-old Jadarius Snipes to 45 years in prison for felony murder in the Dec. 12, 2023, killing of 23-year-old Ryan Boles in Phenix City. A separate 20-year sentence for first-degree robbery will run concurrently, authorities said after the hearing.
The ruling closes a tense chapter that began with a late-night shooting behind a bank and continued through a two-day verdict in October. Prosecutors argued Snipes acted as an accessory during a robbery spree that preceded Boles’ death. Defense lawyers asked jurors to weigh his age and distance from the gunfire. The jury convicted Snipes on Oct. 23, setting up Friday’s sentencing and renewing debate over how Alabama’s felony murder statute applies when a teen is not the triggerman.
Investigators said Boles, a recent Columbus State University graduate, left a Christmas party and parked behind a Synovus bank on 13th Street, where two teens were lying in wait after a failed robbery minutes earlier. In court, prosecutors said video captured two people committing that earlier crime and moving into a tree line before Boles arrived. They told jurors Snipes did not withdraw and instead “encouraged the killing,” while the defense said he stayed back, frightened, and never crossed a fence near the scene.
Evidence described in court included surveillance clips from the downtown corridor, a 9 mm handgun later found in Snipes’ bedroom that matched the caliber used in the killing, and clothing prosecutors said linked him to the night’s events. They said a black Reebok hoodie seen on one suspect was never recovered. Defense attorneys questioned the chain of custody, highlighted gaps in the footage, and pressed an older witness who struggled to recall the earlier robbery attempt. The state also cited Snipes’ own statements placing him at the scene; the defense said the teen tried to disengage before Boles’ vehicle pulled in.
On Oct. 23, jurors returned guilty verdicts on felony murder and first-degree robbery. Sentencing was scheduled for Nov. 21 at 9 a.m. in Russell County Circuit Court. Under Alabama law, a participant in certain felonies can be held responsible if a death occurs during the crime, regardless of who fired the shot. Prosecutors leaned on that standard throughout the trial. Defense lawyers said age and proximity should matter and asked for leniency. The court ultimately imposed a 45-year term for murder, with the robbery sentence to be served at the same time.
Before sentencing, Snipes’ mother, Mary Herbert, said she believes her son was wrongfully identified, arguing the surveillance images were too unclear. “We don’t know the truth because you can’t even see a face,” Herbert said this week, adding she plans to keep fighting. The district attorney’s office responded that Snipes was charged as an adult and that Alabama law allows murder liability for all participants in a felony when someone is killed. Boles’ friends have previously remembered him as upbeat and on track after graduating, though no formal family statement was read in court Friday.
Snipes remained in custody after the hearing. Any appeal or post-trial motion would be the next step on the docket. Court officials said case filings will reflect Friday’s concurrent sentences in the coming days. No additional hearings were immediately scheduled.
Author note: Last updated November 26, 2025.