COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Prosecutors in Cobb County have confirmed that they will seek the death penalty against a 24-year-old man man accused of killing three people at a Kennesaw country club.
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On Wednesday, prosecutors filed the official paperwork in front of Superior Court Judge Robert Flournoy III. He is scheduled to retire at the end of the year, and informed prosecutors and the defense that another judge would take over in January 2023.
Channel 2′s Michael Seiden was inside the courtroom as the accused killer came face-to-face with the widow of one of his alleged victims.
Seiden sat behind Gene Siller’s widow, and while she did not make any statements to the court or to our cameras, she did appear to get upset, shaking her head as she watched her late husband’s accused killer enter the courtroom.
Showing no emotion, accused killer Bryan Rhoden entered the Cobb County courtroom Wednesday.
He sat stone-faced for most of the hearing, using his right to remain silent while watching as prosecutors seeking the death penalty against him made it official.
Before prosecutors notified the court, defense attorney Bruce Harvey announced that he would be withdrawing from the case.
Although he did not cite any specific reason, but the judge confirmed that two court-appointed attorneys, Josh Moore and Emily Prokesch, would represent Rhoden.
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Since the July 2021 murders, Channel 2 has stayed in close contact with Gene Siller’s widow.
In fact, last time we spoke with her, she told us about her commitment to focus her energy on her late husband’s legacy.
“I’m committed to making sure Gene’s legacy lives on forever, and that my boys have something to remember and hold on of their daddy,” Ashley Siller said.
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Rhoden is also accused of killing 76-year-old Paul Pierson and 46-year-old Henry Valdez.
Police said both victims were found tied up and shot in the back of Pierson’s Dodge pickup truck.
Siller, who was the golf director at Pinetree Country Club, was shot and killed while walking out to the fairway to see why the truck had gotten stuck.
There are two other defendants charged in connection to this murder case.
Rhoden is expected to be arraigned in December. His attorney says he will enter a plea of not guilty.
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