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Two men receive maximum 50-year sentences after deadly Ringgold birthday party shooting

Staff file photo by Mason Edwards / The Catoosa County Justice Building is pictured Sept. 25, 2026, after closing arguments wrapped for the trial of two men accused of murder in connection with a 2025 birthday party shooting. Staff file photo by Mason Edwards / The Catoosa County Justice Building is pictured Sept. 25, 2026, after closing arguments wrapped for the trial of two men accused of murder in connection with a 2025 birthday party shooting.

By Mason Edwards October 22, 2026 3 min read

Two men convicted after a deadly 2025 birthday party shooting in Ringgold were each sentenced Wednesday to 50 years in prison, the maximum for their convictions.

Superior Court Judge Don Thompson imposed the sentences on Eric James Link Jr., 19, and Julian Williamson, 20, three weeks after a Catoosa County jury found both guilty of aggravated assault and firearms charges, according to court records.

Jurors acquitted both men of malice murder and deadlocked on a felony murder charge following a weeklong trial. Deliberations spanned four days.

Link and Williamson were arrested days after the Sept. 27, 2025, shooting that killed Daysha Lynch, 24, during her sister Emma Lynch’s 18th birthday party. A bullet also grazed Emma Lynch.