Henry County couple sentenced to prison for roommate's murder
Frank Lawler (Henry County Sheriff's Office)
HENRY COUNTY, Ga. - A Henry County couple has been sentenced to years in prison for the 2018 murder of their roommate.
Frank Lawler, 49, and his girlfriend, 62-year-old Evelyn York, both pled guilty in a Henry County courtroom Monday to crimes connected to the murder of 34-year-old Jonathan Scruggs.
Officials say in 2018. Scruggs was temporarily staying with the couple at their Stockbridge home.
On May 20, Scruggs got into an argument with Lawler and York over money and their living situation. He went to bed that night on their couch. The next day, he was reported missing.
Two days after the argument, Scruggs' body was found in the woods off of Georgia Highway 42 and Highland Boulevard. He had been shot in the head.
Evelyn York (Henry County Sheriff's Office)
Investigators soon discovered that Lawler had asked friends to burn a couch the day after Scruggs went missing - the same couch that Scruggs had been last seen on. The couple had also bought bleach and cleaned their vehicle.
Despite the cleaning, however, police found Scruggs' blood inside the vehicle and multiple guns in their home.
Lawler pled guilty to malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and concealing the death of another. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
York pled guilty to concealing the death of another, tampering with evidence, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Due to the conditions of her plea deal, she was sentenced to 25 years with the first 15 years to be served in prison.