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N. Fayette home invader found guilty

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@thecitizennews.com

Two loud banging noises were the beginning of a real-life nightmare for Richard Love and his wife Parchando when three intruders took over their north Fayette home the night of Jan. 26.

The Loves were tied up, and the intruders threatened to sexually assault Mrs. Love if they didn’t give up “the money,” Mr. Love testified in Fayette Superior Court Monday afternoon.

After his wife was dragged through her house by the attackers, they returned to the bedroom and threw her to the floor, Love said. She then began to pray out loud when one of the intruders replied:

“You need to quit (expletive) praying. The Lord can’t help you now.”

The Loves survived the incident, and in Fayette Superior Court Monday they faced one of the three suspects arrested by police: George Roberts, 30, of Decatur.

Roberts Tuesday afternoon was found guilty of two counts each of kidnapping and aggravated assault and one count of armed robbery.

Sentencing was expected to follow after presstime.

Roberts wasn’t picked out of a photo lineup by either of the Loves, said Capt. Mike Hattaway of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department. But Mr. Love’s handgun, which was taken in the robbery, was later found in a bedroom in Roberts’ residence days after the crime, Hattaway said.

Two other suspects are also charged in the case but have not yet been to trial. Both men, Jessie James Mercer Jr., 29, of Stone Mountain, and Rasaul Malik Rayshad, 38, remain in jail without bond awaiting trial on the same charges as Roberts.

In court Monday, Mr. Love recalled how terrified he was and his decision to come out of hiding after diving under their bed for his gun. It only had one bullet because it was used to “celebrate” New Year’s with several shots in the air.

“I said to myself, ‘I’ve just got this one bullet. Should I use this one bullet or what should I do?’” Love testified.

From under the bed, Love saw three pairs of legs enter his bedroom with his wife, and he knew he was outnumbered. He stood up with his hands in the air, a move that may have ultimately spared the Loves’ lives.

The intruders ultimately left the home with the $5,000 cash, but not before terrifying the Loves.

Mr. Love testified that after he was tied up, the intruders dragged his wife through the house by her hair. It got real quiet, he said, and he worried for her safety.

Roberts’ attorney, Joe Saia, said that another participant in the crime, who was involved in the planning but not the attack itself, was not charged by police. Saia contends his client also took part in the planning prior to the attack, but Roberts was not present when the invasion took place, he said in court Monday.