Suspect who shot couple inside burning home was woman’s ex, loved ones say
Man shoots ex-girlfriend, her new boyfriend, family says
LaGrange police have arrested the man they say shot two people and potentially tried to cover it up in a house fire last week. The victim's family members say the ex used to date the female victim and had recently gotten out of jail.
LAGRANGE, Ga. - What was initially thought to be a fatal house fire in LaGrange is now a murder investigation that leaves the hearts of two families broken.
While loved ones of the two victims are preparing for their funerals, police in LaGrange arrested a man they believe was behind the murders on Friday.
What we know:
LaGrange police say 38-year-old Jabreka Williams and her boyfriend, 40-year-old Roderick Kennedy, were both found shot to death inside her burning home just before 11:30 p.m. on Feb. 8.
The call initially came in as a structure fire. When investigators arrived, they quickly noticed both victims had gunshot wounds.
Within 24 hours of the fire, investigators arrested 35-year-old Travis Rivers on felony probation violation and aggravated stalking charges related to the case.
On Friday, police added aggravated assault, home invasion, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and felony murder to the list of charges Rivers faces.
What they're saying:
A devastated Lawrence Williams and Danielle Thompson-Willis gathered family together on Fendig Street Saturday night to remember their daughter, Jabreka.
The family tells FOX 5 she had just ended an abusive relationship with Rivers, who’d recently gotten out of jail.
"He shouldn’t have took her life like that," her stepmother, Danielle Thompson-Willis, said.
Sara Kennedy, Roderick’s mother, says she recalled hearing the sirens of fire trucks just up the road from her home, but didn’t know it was her son whose life was in danger.
"He was at the wrong place at the wrong time, and it’s hurting me so bad," she said. "They just didn’t have to do it the way they did it."
Though both families say the arrest came as a relief, they are still struggling to come to terms with what happened to Williams and Kennedy, who were both known among their families as the "life of the party."
Kennedy and Williams’ funerals are set for this Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
What we don't know:
It’s unclear what caused the fire.
LaGrange police also haven’t shared an official motive for the shootings.
The Source: Information reported in this story came from the LaGrange Police Department.