On a November afternoon in 2020, the life of 33-year-old Steven Andrew Finch was tragically cut short in a violent encounter in Lawrenceville, Georgia. The events of November 21st, 2020, unfolded at a home on Creek Water Court, where Finch and two other men, 64-year-old Robert Caverly and 45-year-old Eugene McClam, were fatally shot.
Responding to a call about a person shot, Gwinnett County police discovered a grim scene.
One victim was found with gunshot wounds on a neighbor's porch and was transported to a hospital where he later died. Inside the residence, officers found another man deceased near the front door, and Finch was discovered dead in the garage.
The investigation into the triple homicide quickly led to a suspect, Justice Lusk, who was 21 years old at the time. Evidence presented during the subsequent trial revealed a chilling sequence of events. Lusk had taken an Uber to the residence with the intention of stealing a quantity of methamphetamine and marijuana. After the shootings, he was seen leaving the home with a bookbag and a blanket. His attempt to flee the scene in a Lyft was thwarted when the driver refused to give him a ride. Lusk then fled into a nearby wooded area.
A police K-9 unit later discovered a bag that Lusk had stashed in the crawlspace of a nearby home. The bag contained an AK-47 assault rifle, a handgun, muddied clothing, and a large amount of drugs. Investigators were able to connect Lusk to the crime through information from his Uber ride and his cell phone records. He was arrested the following day when he returned to the area to retrieve the hidden items.
During his trial, Lusk claimed that he had acted in self-defense, stating that he felt his life was in danger. However, the jury rejected his testimony and convicted him on three counts of malice murder, three counts of felony murder, three counts of aggravated assault, and three counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Justice Lusk was subsequently sentenced to three consecutive life sentences plus five years, without the possibility of parole.
