Wednesday, July 2, 2003
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Wednesday, July 2, 2003 |
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Deputies seek man's .45 in double murder investigation By JOHN MUNFORD
Sheriff's detectives are focusing their efforts on finding a weapon owned by a Jonesboro man in connection with the murder of a Fayette man and his friend who were found shot to death at a north Fayette residence May 5. The owner of the weapon, Eddie Robbins, 48, of an address on Eagle Drive, Jonesboro, has not been named a suspect in the murder of north Fayette resident David Mangham and Francis Michael Fowler of Ellenwood, said Lt. Col. Bruce Jordan of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department. A $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the recovery of the weapon, Jordan said. "We are not naming him a suspect," Jordan said. "We are just looking for his gun." The weapon is described as a Colt .45 caliber pistol, model 1911, Jordan said. Robbins has told detectives he doesn't know where the gun is and he hasn't cooperated with detectives on the case, Jordan added. "He probably knows where it's at," Jordan said. If the gun were found, it's likely detectives would perform ballistics tests to determine if it was used at the murder scene. Robbins knew Mangham and Fowler sincethey went to high school together, Jordan said. Mangham and Fowler were found shot to death May 5 at Mangham's residence in the Princeton Chase subdivision off Ga. Highway 314 North. Over three weeks ago, Jordan indicated that the investigation had focused on one person, who he declined to name. Jordan said the suspect knew he was the focus of the investigation. At the same time, detectives began excavating the yard of the former residence of that suspect in Riverdale. Detectives were hoping to find bullets in the ground since the suspect reportedly had a habit of shooting his gun in the air to celebrate New Year's Eve, a source close to the investigation said. The dead bodies of Mangham and Fowler had been discovered by someone who was trying to contact Mangham at his residence. Police said they found Mangham in the master bedroom and Fowler in the kitchen area. Fowler occasionally did some auto body work for Mangham in a garage at the rear of the residence, police said.
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