Life sentences in prison were handed down to three men for their roles in a 2018 shooting at a McDonough night club that left a Butts County man dead.

  According to a statement from the Henry County District’s Attorney’s Office, guilty verdicts were returned Feb. 7 by a Henry County jury in the cases of Colton Jerrod Sims, Jason Dante Edwards and Monte Glover Jr. on charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Glover and Sims were also convicted of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

  That added up to life in prison plus 10 years for Glover, 29, or McDonough as well as Sims, 30, of Butts County. The sentence for Edwards, 29, of Alabama, was life in prison plus five years. The sentences were handed down by Superior Court Judge Brian Amero.

  The convictions stemmed from an incident in December of 2018 at the former Traxx Lounge & Grill at the intersection of I-75 and Hwy. 155 in McDonough. Decoby Barlow, who was at the club to celebrate his cousin’s birthday, was shot after a fight, which started inside the club, spilled out into the parking lot. Barlow, 31, was not involved in the altercation and was getting into his car when he was shot. He was found dead inside that vehicle, according to authorities.

  “This was a tragic event that left an innocent young man dead while he was celebrating his cousin’s birthday at a local establishment,” Henry County District Attorney Darius Pattillo said. “We are pleased that Mr. Barlow’s family is satisfied justice was served today.”

  The case was investigated by the McDonough Police Department and prosecuted by the District Attorney’s Homicide and Gang Unit, which Pattillo created in 2017.