A Georgia court has handed down a life sentence to a man convicted in a brutal domestic violence killing that prosecutors say followed a pattern of escalating abuse and ignored warnings.
Mamadi Tambajang will spend the rest of his life behind bars after being found guilty of murdering his girlfriend, Amber Kelly, inside their apartment in Sandy Springs. Authorities confirmed he received life in prison with the possibility of parole only after serving 50 years.
The case took a disturbing turn when Tambajang walked into the local police department on May 15, 2024, admitting he had harmed Kelly. He asked officers to check on her condition, claiming uncertainty about whether she was still alive. When police arrived at the apartment, they discovered Kelly had already died from extensive injuries.
Prosecutors described the scene as deeply unsettling. “The crime scene was horrific,” said Asia Baysah, a deputy district attorney in Fulton County. “He knew she wasn’t OK. She had over 25 different blunt force traumas to her body.”
Investigators revealed that the fatal attack was not an isolated incident. At the time of the killing, Tambajang was already facing two separate domestic violence cases involving Kelly. Records show she had contacted police roughly a year earlier, expressing fear for her life.
“He’s a violent person, and he threatened to murder me twice this week,” she told dispatchers in a call obtained by WSB.
Despite repeated warnings from loved ones urging her to leave the relationship, Kelly reportedly believed her partner could change. Authorities say the abuse continued, ultimately ending in her death.
During the investigation, Tambajang told officials he had “snapped” during an argument. Prosecutors rejected that claim, emphasizing the severity and duration of the assault.
“He said that he was provoked to inflict those injuries upon Amber,” Assistant District Attorney Jazmin Dilligard said. “It was fake. If he was truly concerned about her, he would have called 911. He did everything but seek medical treatment.”
Police believe the killing occurred at least a day before Tambajang surrendered. Instead of immediately contacting emergency services, he reportedly drove to his mother’s home in South Carolina before later turning himself in.
For Kelly’s family, the loss remains devastating. Her mother, Sharon Henderson, recalled the moment authorities delivered the news.
“I felt like my heart stopped beating the moment I found out that my baby was no longer here with us,” she said.
