Atlanta policeman accused of murdering a woman and setting her body on fire

[KrustyKrabella]

His preliminary court hearing is set for September 12 in Fulton Superior court. He has waived his right to attend his first court appearance scheduled for yesterday, and as a result, remains behind bars with no bond.

Phone records link the policeman to the victim, and they may have initially met through an online hook-up site. He was arrested while trying to board a flight to Mexico.

He's been charged with murder, arson, kidnapping, and tampering with evidence. He is 23 years old. He's been on the force for 3 years.
Atlanta News: Police officer arrested on murder charge | www.ajc.com

People like this just don't wake up as murderers one morning. I thought there was a pretty heft mental health exam before becoming a cop? Shouldn't there have been some warnings that maybe everything wasn't okay with this guy?

 

[stevesxs9]

Those indeed are disturbing allegations. If these charges prove to be true, he should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. This would be inexcusable and unacceptable.

 

[Profit5500]

Man murdering a woman and setting her on fire its gross. He was on the force for three years he is young and now done ruined his life by killing someone in a sick and twisted way. Another disappointment to the force if the allegations are true he should not be allowed to be a police officer again.

 

[nafretiti]

Sounds pretty frightening that a police officer would do such a thing, however as we all know the media likes to leave specific things out. In this situation the specific policeman that is mentioned could of indeed passed all mental and physical tests, however doesn't mean he didn't fake anything and then totally did a 360 turn and snapped. I believe the mind is fragile and anything can make a human go off the deep end,just like an animal could. Although someone is an officer of the law,people need to realize that they to are human and thus anything could happen.

 

[LuckyGirl08]

I am truly not surprised my this. Ever since the Zimmerman case, the police all over the world had been doing outrageous things thinking they will get away with it. Most cops now days done got used to killing people that now they are becoming murders. This is such a shame, and people wonder why nobody trust cops.

 

[KrustyKrabella]

I don't think it's likely he'll ever be a police officer again. Even if he is found not guilty (which doesn't seem possible- the victim had texts from him on her phone and he was caught fleeing the country), I think his chances of being rehired as a PO are pretty slim.

I'll be surprised if this even goes to trial, actually. I think he'll probably plead guilty.

 

[bala]

I pretty much am distraught that a cop actually resented to do this.he had a brilliant reputation and it was said to be a childhood dream of becoming a cop.Though outrageous things happen,one surely would expect something from a cop of his stature,with a clean track record.

 

[Jokester050288]

Well I see the police taking it to another level with arson. It don't surprise me that they would try something new since they have been getting away with all the shootings. I will will be waiting for the next stupid act from an officer but hopefully it won't happen.

 

[helaofthenorns]

Tsk. Mental health checks should be rigorously done in the police force. Normal citizens trust them with their lives. In the Philippines, there are many cases of police officers who commit crimes just because they think that they can get away with it.

 

[askanison]

He may plead out, but he is going to have a really rough time in prison. Bad cops in prison tend to have to be locked in solitary for their own protection because other inmates love to make an example of policemen. He will get some justice one way or the other.

 

[Rainman]

What makes the case against this police officer really bad is that he was arrested whilst trying to flee. Can you plead innocence in such a case? Why was he running? IMO, this is more than just an accusation. I believe he killed the woman and should pay for his crime.

Police believe he used his service weapon to kill the Woodard, mother to an 8-year-old. He became the prime suspect after the woman’s phone records led investigators to Backpage.com and eventually Rana

If he used his service weapon then it's an open and shut case.

 

[GemmaRowlands]

There should, of course, always be health checks when somebody joins the force, both mental and physical, so I am sure that this is something that will be considered during the investigation. However, with every mental issue, there is always a first time, as nobody can preempt something showing itself. Unfortunately, on this occasion, it has resulted in something very tragic happening, and I hope that it can encourage individual police departments to look after their staff a little bit better in future, because their mental health can affect the way that they do their job, and it is important that they have regular checks for it.