A suspect has been charged with the murder of three men, including a professional golfer, at an Atlanta-area country club last Saturday.
The Cobb County Police Department announced Thursday evening that Bryan Anthony Rhoden was arrested in the Chamblee area earlier in the day.
At a press conference, Police Chief Tim Cox said Rhoden has been charged with the murder of golfer Eugene "Gene" Siller, as well as two other men identified as Paul Pierson and Henry Valdez.
Cox said Rhoden was apprehended on Thursday by members of a fugitive task force and the U.S. Marshals Service. The chief added that the suspect “has ties to the metro Atlanta area.”
When asked when police turned their attention to Rhoden, the chief said, “His name came up within a few days of the investigation, beginning of the investigation.” He’s believed to be the “lone shooter.”
Along with three counts of murder, Rhoden is being charged with three counts of aggravated assault, and two counts of kidnapping.
Cox didn’t elaborate further on the case and refused to answer several questions about a possible motive or the process of tracking the suspect down.
“The arrest in this case is due to the tireless investigative efforts of the men and women of the Cobb Count Police Department, our community members, and our partners both in local and federal law enforcement,” said Cox.
The three victims were found shot and killed at the Pinetree Country Club in Kennesaw on July 3. Police say officers found Siller unresponsive at the country club with an apparent gunshot wound to the head. The other two men were discovered with gunshot wounds in the bed of a pickup truck that was on the green. Police say Pierson was the registered owner of the truck where the men were found.
Police believe Siller “happened upon a crime in progress” involving the suspect and the two other deceased men.
“It does not appear he was in any way targeted, but rather was killed because he witnessed an active crime taking place,” police said in a press release Wednesday.
Police added that it doesn’t appear the other two victims had any relation to the location “at all.”
