In Hephzibah, Georgia, a late-night stop at the Waffle House on Talbot Drive turned into a scene of chaos and tragedy on August 20, 2025. What began as a routine visit for Layla Bennett and her boyfriend Jalen Thomas spiraled into a fatal confrontation, leaving 23-year-old Antoine Stokes dead, Bennett behind bars, and Thomas a fugitive on the run. This chilling incident, steeped in a history of domestic strife, gang affiliations, and past crimes, has left the Augusta community reeling, as authorities unravel a tangled web of motives and missed chances.
The night began innocently enough. Around 11 p.m., Bennett and Thomas, fresh off their shift at Logan’s Roadhouse across town, pulled into the Waffle House parking lot in a red Nissan Sentra. But as Bennett backed into a parking space, her heart sank. There, in a black 2017 Ford Escape, sat Antoine Stokes—a man from her past, tied to her through a recent domestic violence incident that had left her shaken. Just two months earlier, in June 2025, Bennett had filed a police report against Stokes, accusing him of abuse. Seeing him now, she told investigators, sent her into a panic. She believed he had followed her from work, his presence a looming threat.
Fearing for her safety, Bennett tried to escape the situation. She pulled out of the parking lot, hoping to lose Stokes. But he persisted, trailing her vehicle. Desperate, she returned to the Waffle House, hoping the public setting might deter him. It didn’t. Stokes pulled up beside her car, and the encounter took a deadly turn. According to Bennett, Thomas leaned out of the passenger seat and opened fire. Gunshots shattered the night, striking Stokes’ SUV multiple times. When deputies arrived, they found the Ford Escape abandoned in a nearby Taco Bell parking lot on Tobacco Road, its driver’s side riddled with bullet holes. Inside, Stokes lay slumped, a single gunshot wound to the head sealing his fate. He was rushed to Wellstar MCG Health, where he clung to life on a ventilator before succumbing to his injuries at 3:59 p.m. on August 21.
The investigation that followed revealed a deeper, darker story. Stokes was no stranger to violence. At just 16, he had been implicated in the 2019 murder of 19-year-old Kenneth Porter during a botched robbery in Augusta. Though not the triggerman, Stokes had been recruited for the crime, handed a firearm, and played a role in its planning. After confessing to his mother and turning himself in, he took a plea deal, pleading guilty to attempted armed robbery and firearm possession. Sentenced to five years under Georgia’s First Offender Act, he served his time and was released on probation—a second chance that now ended in tragedy.
Bennett, meanwhile, was arrested at the scene. Initially charged with aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during a crime, her charges were upgraded to murder and weapons possession after Stokes’ death. She remains in custody, her claims of self-defense under scrutiny as investigators piece together surveillance footage that confirms much of her account but leaves critical questions unanswered. Did she and Thomas act out of fear, or was this a calculated act of retribution?
Jalen Thomas, the alleged shooter, remains at large, sparking an intense manhunt. Described as a 26-year-old Black man, 6-foot-1, and 180 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes, Thomas is considered armed and dangerous. Authorities warn he frequents the Tobacco Road and Robert C. Daniel Jr. Parkway areas, and warrants have been issued for his arrest on charges of murder and firearm possession during a crime. His criminal history only deepens the stakes. A convicted felon with a 2016 false imprisonment charge in Richmond County, Thomas is a validated member of the Gangster Disciples, a notorious criminal street gang. In 2019, he and a roommate were caught on social media brandishing firearms while on felony probation, leading to charges of firearm possession and gang activity after police uncovered weapons and ammunition in their home.
The Hephzibah Waffle House shooting is more than a single act of violence—it’s a collision of troubled pasts and unresolved conflicts. Stokes’ history of crime, Bennett’s fear of her former abuser, and Thomas’ gang ties paint a picture of a community grappling with cycles of violence. Sheriff’s deputies are urging anyone with information on Thomas’ whereabouts to contact Investigator Courtland Harris at (706) 821-1455 or the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office at (706) 821-1020 or (706) 821-1080. The public is cautioned not to approach him.
As an autopsy looms and the investigation deepens, the quiet corner of Talbot Drive remains a stark reminder of how quickly fear and desperation can erupt into bloodshed. For Hephzibah, a small town unaccustomed to such headlines, the tragedy has left a wound that will linger long after the police tape comes down.
