STAFF REPORT :::
A Spalding County jury on Thursday convicted Carmen Emilio Torres and Eric Cabrera Lopez in the murders of Carlos Benford and Joshua Wyatt.
Beford and Wyatt’s bodies were discovered burning in a truck on April 13, 2021.
Spalding County firefighters and deputies responded to a location on Jackson Road near the Butts County line, where the truck was found burning.
After extinguishing the fire, firefighters discovered the bodies in the bed of the truck covered in trash and debris.
Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix, Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney Marie Broder and investigators from both their offices responded to the scene.
“The investigation led us to a residence located at 375 Dutchman Road where a search warrant was executed that led to the discovery of the crime scene where the murders occurred. Evidence discovered at that residence showed that Mr. Wyatt and Mr. Benford were shot multiple times, and the murderers used a great deal of effort in their attempt to conceal the crime scene,” Dix said. “Interviews conducted during the course of the investigation showed that the bodies were then loaded into the bed of a stolen truck, covered with trash, and after sitting in the yard for several days was driven from the residence on Dutchman Road to the location where it was found burning. From that point forward the investigation headed by SCSO Investigator Gerald Phillips progressed and led to the arrests and convictions of Lopez and Torres for their heinous crime.”
Broder and Senior Assistant District Attorney Kate Lenhard tried the case for the state.
“My heartfelt thanks go out to the Sheriff’s Office for their tremendous efforts in investigating this case and in giving us the space and security to prosecute this case successfully. I am truly grateful for every witness that came forward to help us bring justice to the families whose hearts were broken by the reprehensible acts of these defendants,” Broder said. “My office will never stop fighting on behalf of this family and others like it who deserve their day in Court.”
The trial lasted eight days and over six hundred pieces of evidence were admitted and considered by the jury. Deliberations lasted approximately two hours before the jury returned verdicts of guilty on all counts against both defendants.
Superior Court Judge Scott Ballard sentenced both defendants to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the offense of malice murder, along with counts of armed robbery, arson and others.
“The joint effort with our District Attorney’s Office during this investigation was key to the arrests and convictions. Going from two unidentified bodies found in the bed of a burning stolen truck to the convictions that happened yesterday speaks volumes about how dedicated my Deputies and Investigators are and how dedicated Mrs. Broder and her staff are to standing in the gap for victims and their families,” Dix said.
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