Suspects sentenced for shooting 2 Ga. men, burning truck with their bodies inside

SPALDING COUNTY, Ga. — A pair of suspects have been sentenced to spend the rest of their lives in prison after being convicted of an April 2021 double murder.

More than two years ago, Spalding County deputies responded to a burning truck parked inside the woods.

Inside the Chevrolet Z71 pickup truck, they found the bodies of Joshua Wyatt, 29, and Carlos Benford, 36.

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Eric Cabrea Lopez and Carmen Emilio Torres were convicted of their murders earlier this week and were both sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix said Wyatt and Benford met with Cabrea Lopez to talk about putting together some kind of performance space.

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Investigators say they were led to a home that had been abandoned and furniture and other items inside had been burned in the backyard. Investigators also found that the interior of the house had been sprayed with bleach in an attempt to cover up the murders.

They later learned that Wyatt and Benford had been shot several times and loaded into the bed of the truck. They were covered with trash and debris for days before the truck was taken and burned.

Two other people, Alicia Rojo-Sanchez and Kristen Cordero-Rojas, were arrested and charged with the murders. It’s unclear where their cases stand.

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2 men found in burning truck identified, man arrested after police chase Firefighters responded to calls about a burning vehicle on Jackson Road around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.

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