44-year-old Michael Kyle Reid was shot in the chest and killed seconds after arriving outside a Canton home in 2025. A Cherokee County jury convicted 45-year-old David Henry Daniel of felony murder and two other crimes Friday.
What happened: Cherokee County E-911 received a report of the shooting at 10:21 p.m. Feb. 18, 2025, at the home of Daniel’s girlfriend on North Lake Drive. Deputies found Reid on the carport floor and recovered a .22-caliber pistol from the hood of a vehicle in the driveway.
Before the shooting: Trial evidence showed Daniel and Reid came into conflict three days earlier, after Reid began talking with Daniel’s on-again, off-again girlfriend. Text and social media messages showed growing tension before Daniel ran from the home and shot Reid within seconds of his arrival.
The evidence: No one saw the shooting. Daniel’s girlfriend heard the gunshot and then ran outside. A pocketknife and small sheath knife were found on Reid, but their locations indicated he had no chance to reach either before he was shot.
Daniel first called the shooting an accident and later said he felt threatened. Prosecutor Elizabeth Mackey said he also gave conflicting accounts that included claims Reid had a bat, wrench or flashlight.
The state called 11 witnesses and presented nearly 150 exhibits during the five-day trial. The evidence included the 911 call, photographs, Daniel’s recorded interview with a detective, body camera video, text messages and social media records.
The verdict: Jurors deliberated for more than nine hours before finding Daniel guilty of felony murder, aggravated assault and having a gun during a crime. They found him not guilty of malice murder.
The sentence: Superior Court Judge Tony Baker sentenced Daniel to life in prison with the possibility of parole, followed by five years of probation. Daniel can seek parole after serving 30 years.
Daniel also must give up all firearms, have no contact with Reid’s family and he may not enter Cherokee County.
B.T. Clark is the Publisher of The Georgia Sun and author of Principles Are Like Pants… You Ought to Have Some. Over two decades in journalism, he has served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc., earning multiple awards along the way. His work has appeared in newspapers across the state, including The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal.
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- B.T. Clark
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- B.T. Clark
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