In a tragic turn of events, 31-year-old Travis Michael Lodato of Newnan, Georgia, was murdered on August 8, 2021. His body was later discovered on August 10, 2021, in West Point Lake in LaGrange, Georgia.
Lodato, along with his 46-year-old roommate Marcus Lee Caswell Jr., had traveled to the LaGrange home of Joshua Wayne Nutt, an acquaintance, to collect a debt. What began as a visit to settle a financial matter escalated into a violent and fatal encounter. At some point during the visit, Nutt, a known associate of the Ghost-Faced Gangsters, opened fire on his visitors. He shot Caswell once in the base of the skull and Lodato five times, with one of the shots striking him in the head. After the killings, Nutt stole jewelry and other personal items from the bodies of the two men. He also spray-painted Lodato's motorcycle and made plans to break into the victims' home in Newnan.
The day after the murders, Nutt and an accomplice transported the bodies of Lodato and Caswell to West Point Lake and discarded them in the water. A fisherman discovered Caswell's body on August 9, and a boater found Lodato's body the following day. The investigation quickly led law enforcement to Nutt's residence. A search of his home uncovered the victims' motorcycles concealed in a trailer and pools of blood in his crawlspace. While investigators were at the scene, Nutt drove past his house and then led deputies on a chase before he was apprehended.
Joshua Wayne Nutt was arrested and subsequently charged in the deaths of Travis Lodato and Marcus Caswell. Nutt, who was on parole at the time of the murders and had six prior felony convictions, was ultimately convicted of two counts of malice murder, six counts of felony murder, two counts of armed robbery, and other related offenses. He received a sentence of four consecutive life-without-parole sentences, with an additional 40 years to be served without the possibility of parole. Nutt's girlfriend, Abbrianna Marie Williams, was also indicted on charges of murder and robbery in connection with the case.
