15 Chilling Facts About the Coweta County Murders


 

Located in the Atlanta metropolitan area, Coweta County is a renowned place where crime rates have been high over the years. In 2020, the violent crime rate was 15.9 per 100,000 residents in the county. Murders were and are still a major challenge in Coweta County.

Over the years, there have been several murder incidents in Coweta County which shocked the whole country. These murders drew the attention of many one of the famous ones being a wealthy and unruly landowner from Meriwether County who murdered a man in Coweta County. In the most recent Coweta County murders, a family of three were murdered in their business premise.

75-year-old Tommy Richard Hawk, his wife Evelyn Hawk, and their grandchild 18-year-old Alexander Luke Hawk were shot at the mom-and-pop gun shop. Authorities believe that the murders were carried out in a robbery incident that took place at the gun shop.

Here are the 15 Chilling Facts About the Coweta County Murders:

1. An Unruly Wealthy Landowner Kidnapped A Guy Who Stole His Cows

 

In April 1948, a bizarre incident that led to the murder of a man who was known as Wilson Turner took place. Wilson was a sharecropper tenant who worked for the wealthy landowner, John Wallace. John Wallace had power in Meriwether County where no justice could be taken against him.

Wilson decided to do some extra bootlegging for his boss without getting permission leading to his being fired. In retaliation, Wilson stole two cows John which led to his arrest in Carrollton. However, he was set free after failing to find evidence to prosecute him with. After regaining his freedom, he was kidnapped by John Wallace and his henchmen.

Read The Setagaya Family Murders: 10 Facts About The Unsolved Case.

2. Wilson鈥檚 Freedom Was Short-lived as Wallace鈥檚 Henchmen Bayed for His Blood

After setting foot outside the Meriwether County Jail, John Wallace was there alongside his henchmen who were baying for his blood. Immediately he saw them, he dashed to his truck not knowing that the full content had been drained by Wallace鈥檚 group.

Wallace and his henchmen made a fierce pursuit of Wilson Turner who drove towards Coweta County. His truck stopped running at Sunset Tourist camp in Moreland, Coweta County where he was caught.

Eyewitnesses claimed that the torture of Wilson Turner began immediately after he was caught. Wallace struck him using his shotgun which discharged and struck Wilson鈥檚 foot. He was bundled into their vehicle as he limped.

3. Wilson was Murdered & His Body Burned

, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

From Coweta County, John Wallace, and his group took Wilson back to his home. He was murdered by the group and it was time to dispose of his body which was hidden in John Wallace鈥檚 property. They burned the body in a pit with the ashes and bone fragments being scattered in a stream.

4. Two Black Field Workers Were Forced to Help Get Rid of the Body

John Wallace did not dispose of the body of Wilson Turner on his own after killing him. His henchmen were not directly involved in the disposal of the body as two men were forced to.

Two black field workers, Albert Brooks and Robert Lee Gates got them in a situation they were not willing to be involved in. John Wallace had ordered Albert Brooks and Robert Lee Gates to help in getting rid of the body of Wilson. They were used to dispose of the body and later burned it.

5. Brain Matter & Bone Fragments were Discovered at the Burn Site

, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Coweta County Sheriff Lamar Potts decided to pursue justice for Wilson Turner as the murder was carried out in his jurisdiction. The beginning of the trial in Meriwether County was turning out to be futile as the locals were afraid to speak anything about John Wallace and his 鈥淜ingdom鈥. However, some people brought up the names of Brooks and Gates who were ready to help.

With the help of Meriwether County鈥檚 Sheriff and the two farm men of Wallace, Lamar was taken to the scene where the body of Turner was burned. At the well, investigators made crucial discoveries. Some brain matter which was later proved to be human was discovered at the well.

Some Ash, bone chips, and other fragments were also discovered at the burn site and a nearby creek within Wallace鈥檚 Kingdom. These discoveries were proven to belong to a man believed to be Wilson Turner. John Wallace and his henchmen were arrested.

Also, read The Stella Nestle Murders: 10 Shocking Facts About the Murders.

6. Testimonies of Brooks & Gates Were Considered Less Convincing in Turner鈥檚 Murder Case Trial

The trial of John Wallace was proving to be hard to get a breakthrough because of several things. Through his influence, Wallace tried to fight for justice as he stated that Coweta County Sheriff Lamar was not in his jurisdiction to follow up on the case. Another major hurdle was to get testimonies against Wallace with the two available options being overlooked.

Brooks and Gates were crucial in providing their testimonies against Wallace as they had become State witnesses to get immunity in return. However, their testimonies were not convincing. The fact that they were two poor black men testifying against a wealthy white defendant to be convicted was not expected in those days.

7. Wallace was Sentenced to Death & Got Electrocuted

, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

With all his influence and wealth, John Wallace was not able to get his freedom back as all the evidence and testimonies were against him. In 1949, he was convicted to a death sentence.

At 11 am on 3rd November 1950, John Wallace was escorted to his execution Chambers. He was prepared for the execution and a few minutes later, he was pronounced dead.

8. Three Victims from the Same Family Were Murdered

In a different incident, a triple homicide was reported at Lock Stock and Barrel Shooting Range in Coweta County. Three people from the same family were murdered in a shocking incident.

75-year-old Tommy Richard Hawk Sr., his 75-year-old wife Evelyn Hawk, and their grandson Luke Hawk were the victims. Luke Hawk was assisting his grandparents at their shop in their locality.

9. The Victims Were Shot Dead in a Robbery/Homicide Incident

Photo by on

Luke Hawk was assisting his grandparents at their gun shop, the mom-and-pop gun shop because they had no employees. His grandfather has suffered a stroke but was recovering and was back to their business.

On 8th April 2022, an unfortunate thing happened. A robber broke into the shop where he had planned to rob them, but ended up shooting the three victims and killed them. 40 weapons were stolen from the store and the security camera DVR.

10. Richard Hawk Found the Dead Bodies in the Store

Photo by cottonbro studio:

The Hawks used to close their shop at 5:30 pm but they never came home by 6:00 pm that evening which created suspicion to Richard Hawk, the son of the two victims and father of Tommy. Richard decided to head out to the shop to find out what had happened.

He arrived to find the unexpected at the mom-and-pop gun store. Richard found the bodies of his relatives and alerted the authorities. The bodies of his relatives were lying on the floor a few steps from each other in what was a shocking scene.

Read The Yosemite Murders: 15 Disturbing Facts About the Haunting Story.

11. A 21-year-old Male Who Was Known by the Victims was Involved in the Murders

Investigations began immediately after the report on the murders was made by Richard Hawk. The police barricaded the roads with the hopes of catching the perpetrator(s) of the Hawk’s murders. However, their success was not able to be made that night.

A few days later after the shootings, the police made a breakthrough. On Friday 15th April, 21-year-old Christian Muse was arrested for the murders of Luke, Evelyn, and Tommy Hawk. He was found in possession of some weapons that were stolen from the mom-and-pop gun store.

12. A Burglar Broke into a Home & Shot Two Men

On 17th January 2023 a few minutes past midnight, three friends were chilling in their home on Deep South Road near Johnson Road in Senoia, Coweta County. Marvin Bridge, Kip Harris, and their friend were having a quiet night then all of a sudden everything went wrong.

A burglar broke into the home and decided to end the lives of the owners. Marvin and Kip were shot while their friend was left unharmed.

13. Marvin Bridge was Shot in the Head and Killed

Photo by cottonbro studio:

In the middle of the commotion, the burglar who was armed with a gun decided to harm the occupants of the home. He shot at Marvin Bridge and Kip Harris. Marvin Bridge was shot in the head and killed on the spot.

14. Kip Harris was Shot in the Head & Died a few days after the Incident

Unfortunately, Kip Harris was also shot in the head but was found alive at the scene when the unharmed friend made a 911 call. Kip was airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, where he received medical attention. However, Kip Harris succumbed to the injuries that he had sustained from the fatal headshot.

15. Investigators Made A Plea for the Murders Information

The murders of the two men are still pending as investigators don鈥檛 have any leads to the perpetrator(s). This led to the plea from the investigators to the public for information about the murder as they believe that they might be in fear to come forward.

鈥淚nvestigators, in this case, are of the mind that there are people in the community who may have information that can help solve this case. They may be reluctant to come forth due to several factors including fear, intimidation, or bringing attention to other criminal activity,鈥 wrote Investigator Stacy Beckom in an open letter to the public.

 

Crimes in Coweta County are a major issue for the residents and authorities. Several gangs and other rival groups have caused chaos in the criminal activities they carry out in the county.

Read The Gainesville Ripper: 15 Horrifying Facts About the College Campus Murders.

 

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