‘Trying to help.’ Man kills couple who let him stay in their home, Georgia cops say
A man staying with friends in Georgia is accused of killing the couple and stealing their car, police said.
Christina Smith, 30, and Marcus Gardner, 29, were found fatally shot in their home in Winder, a city about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta, on March 5 after family members couldn’t reach them, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Martell Lamont Scott, 25, from Kansas City, was arrested by police in Missouri on charges of vehicle theft on March 14 while driving Gardner’s vehicle, according to a news release from the Winder Police Department.
Scott is accused of killing the couple and stealing Gardner’s 2005 Ford Escape, before returning to the Kansas City area, according to police.
On March 18, Scott was charged with two counts of murder, two counts of felony murder and one count of possessing a firearm during the commission of a crime, according to a news release.
Detectives said Scott had been living with the couple for several weeks prior to their deaths. Scott was friends with Gardner, who was also from Kansas City.
“They were trying to help this man, and he just didn’t want to be helped,” Willie Smith, the woman’s mother, told Channel 2. “They brought him back because he wanted to start a new life and let him stay there until he got on his feet.”
Scott is being held without bail at the Barrow County Detention Center, according to inmate records.
“They had a beautiful future and he took it all away,” Willie Smith told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.“They didn’t deserve that. God’s going to make sure he gets what he deserves.”
This story was originally published April 1, 2022 at 11:25 AM with the headline "‘Trying to help.’ Man kills couple who let him stay in their home, Georgia cops say."
