Family says man beaten, left for dead after winning lottery

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — UPDATE: Officers say Charles Barrett's cause of death was not related to any type of trauma. They say the superficial injuries to his head and legs are consistent with a fall. The official cause of death has not been released.

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Someone beat up and killed a man who won thousands from a scratch-off lottery ticket, his family said.

Police aren't saying much about this case, but the victim's family told Channel 2's Tom Regan that Charles Barrett's debit card was stolen and used.

They say 59-year-old Barrett had deposited a $17,000 check for his winnings from a $2 lottery scratch-off a little over a week ago and that whoever attacked him must have known he had those winnings in his account.

His family says Barrett had been down on his luck lately, living inside his van.

'It's very, very sad,” witness Taylor James said.

James, a waitress at a nearby restaurant, said police swarmed Highway 9 in Cumming late at night on April 22 after finding Barrett badly injured and unconscious on the side of the road.

James says police asked her if she had seen anything.

“(They) said they had found a man who was unconscious, didn't know what had happened,” she said.

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Off-duty paramedic Chris Gudatis told Regan that he saw Barrett slumped over a curb, and jumped out of a car to help.

“He wasn't breathing. I checked for a pulse. He had no pulse, so immediately I started CPR,” Gudatis said. “I was just in the moment, trying to save his life.”

He said Barrett had numerous injuries, but at that moment he didn't know if those came from getting struck by a car, or attacked by someone.

“It's tragic situation. Anyone who gets injured like that, whether it's an accident, or on purpose, it's a tragic situation,” he said.

The victim's cousin told Regan that Barret's bank debit card was stolen and has been used repeatedly.

Barrett succumbed to his injuries after the family agreed to remove life support measures on Wednesday, April 26.

“What gave me some comfort through this, it gave his family the opportunity to say goodbye instead of him dying on the side of the road that night,” Gudatis said.

Police say they are looking at the victim’s bank records, but at this point, they have no evidence of foul play and no ruling on the cause of death.

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office is assisting Cumming police with the investigation.

Cox Media Group