On the evening of August 17, 2019, in Rome, Georgia, the life of 26-year-old Jonathan Lynn Hull was tragically cut short. Gunshots rang out at an apartment complex on Cliff View Drive, and when police arrived around 9:30 p.m., they found Hull with a gunshot wound. A resident of the complex had attempted to render first aid, but Hull was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the death of the young man, a graduate of Rome High School and a father, quickly led authorities to a suspect. The day after the shooting, the Rome Police Department announced they were searching for 18-year-old Joe Paul Atwater. An arrest warrant was issued for Atwater, whose last known address was on Chambers Street in Rome, charging him with aggravated assault and felony murder. At the time, police described him as 'armed and dangerous' and sought the public's help in locating him.
For a period, the search for Atwater continued. Details about his capture are not readily available in public reports. However, the legal process eventually moved forward. Court records from Floyd County indicate that Jopaul Dolkim Arsamiwil Atwater, the individual identified as the suspect in Hull's death, was found guilty. A court order dated August 28, 2024, reflects this guilty verdict. Further details regarding the specifics of the trial, including the exact charges on which Atwater was convicted and the sentence he received, have not been widely publicized.
