A suspect has finally been arrested in the case where a golf pro was shot and killed on the 10th hole of a golf course in Kennesaw, Georgia.

The fatal shooting happened at the Pinetree Country Club around 2:27 p.m. on July 3rd. Cobb County Police said when their officers responded to the scene, they found a man on the green of the 10th hole with a gunshot wound to his head. The victim was later identified as a golf pro and director Gene Siller. The tragic murder of Siller has triggered an outpouring of donations reaching $600k.

Two men were found inside the truck that the suspect was driving. One of the victims was identified as 76-year-old Paul Pierson, and the other man was later identified as 46-year-old Henry Valdez of California.

The Cobb County Sheriff’s Office (breaking video below) tweeted out an alert earlier today that a suspect has been detained in the triple homicide.

The suspect below:

The suspect has previous arrests and jail records raise questions about what happened on July 3rd:

According to online jail records via Law & Crime and available through the DeKalb County, Ga., Sheriff’s Office, an inmate bearing the name Bryan Anthony Rhoden was booked on July 4 at 1:54 a.m. — the night after the three men’s bodies were discovered on the golf course — and released on bond on July 6 at 8:35 p.m. Information attached to that booking report indicates that the inmate in question — who bears the same first, middle, and last name as the suspect identified by Chief Cox — was suspected of six charges in DeKalb County which are alleged to have occurred at some point on July 3. Those six charges are DUI, driving an unregistered vehicle, carrying a false identification document, operating a vehicle without insurance, acquiring a license plate for the purpose of concealing the identification of a motor vehicle, and a headlight violation. It is not immediately clear from the records what connection these incidents may have to the July 3 incident at the golf course, and the assembled authorities who spoke on Thursday evening (July 8) did not divulge details. A docket entry appearing on the Dekalb County Judicial Information System indicates that a prosecution was commenced on those matters, all of which are misdemeanors, but does not contain much additional relevant information. The Rhoden charged in DeKalb County is listed as 23 years old and as having a Midtown Atlanta address.

Chief Cox of the Cobb County Police Department spoke about the suspect’s arrest. He is charged with three counts of murder, three counts of aggravated assault, and two counts of kidnapping, saying the suspect was apprehended in Chamblee, Georgia earlier today.

 

OUR PREVIOUS REPORT ON THE ATLANTA AREA CRIME:

A golf pro at a Georgia country club was fatally shot while playing golf Saturday, and two others were found dead, according to official reports.

Gene Siller, The 41-year-old pro golfer and father of 2- young sons, was on the course of the Pinetree Country Club near Kennesaw around 2:30 p.m. when he was shot and killed by a man who had driven his truck onto the golf course.

According to police on the scene, the gunman drove a pickup truck onto the course and got stuck. Siller approached to investigate when the driver opened fire, killing him with a shot to the head. The shooter then fled the scene, leaving the truck parked on the green with two other bodies inside.

According to The Sun,

“One of the males was identified as Paul Pierson, the registered owner of the Ram 3500. The other male has not yet been identified but is believed to be of a Hispanic race,” a spokesperson said.

Speaking to WSBTV, Mr. Siller’s friend Rand Eberhart said: “The last time I had a long conversation with Gene, we had a fundraiser for our church and community.” Regarding the murder, he added, “Clearly, it’s an act of evil. It’s an act of selfishness.”

 

The suspect is described as a 6-foot-1 man with long hair wearing a white or tan shirt and dark-colored pants.

 

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