On Saturday night, John Wes Townley, 31-year-old former Nascar driver, was killed in a shooting in Athens, Georgia. Throughout his eight-year career from 2008 to 2016, Townley made close to 200 Nascar national series starts. In 2015 he won the Camping Truck World Series race, the only national win of his career.
According to a police report by the Athen-Clarke County police, Townley went to the home of his ex-wife, Laura Townley, and her partner, Zachary Anderson, with a hatchet on October 2nd. The police responded to the altercation that ensued, which involved a firearm. Anderson responded to Townley’s violence by releasing several shots from his gun. One of the shots hit Laura Townley.
Both Laura and John Wes Townley were taken to the hospital where Townley was pronounced dead. While she did have serious injuries, Laura Townley was expected to survive. As of Monday, no charges had been filed.
Last week marked the finalization of the divorce between Laura and John Wes Townley; the petition was filed in February. Townley has a history of being violent towards his ex-wife. In 2019 he was charged with three misdemeanor counts that included family battery violence. The court documents report Townley threw his ex-wife to the floor and severely endangered her life. He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was placed on 12-month probation.
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