On a tragic day in June 2018, the life of 34-year-old Katie Kettles Sasser was cut short in Darien, Georgia. A mother and daughter, her death was the culmination of a period of escalating fear and threats. The man responsible for her death was her estranged husband, Robert 'Cory' Sasser, a suspended Glynn County police lieutenant. On the evening of June 28th, Cory Sasser drove to the home of John Hall Jr., a friend of Katie's, where he forced his way inside and fatally shot them both.
Katie was found deceased inside the residence, while John was discovered in his driveway.
The events leading up to that fatal night painted a grim picture of domestic turmoil. Katie and Cory Sasser had separated, and in the months prior to her death, he had exhibited increasingly erratic and threatening behavior. In May 2018, he was arrested for battery and trespassing after an incident at Katie's home where he allegedly tried to kick down her door and threatened to kill her. Following this, he was involved in a standoff with police. Despite these warning signs, and a court order to stay away from Katie and to not possess firearms, Cory Sasser remained a free man. Friends of Katie later recounted how she lived in constant fear for her life, a fear that was tragically realized.
In the days immediately preceding the murders, Cory Sasser was seen at a restaurant where Katie and John Hall were dining, an encounter that was reported to officials. He had also traveled from his sister's home in Alabama, where he was supposed to be staying as a condition of his bond. After the killings, Sasser fled the scene, leading law enforcement on a slow-speed chase which ended at his own home in Glynn County. Following a standoff with a SWAT team, Cory Sasser was found deceased in his truck from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
In the aftermath of the murder-suicide, questions arose regarding whether more could have been done to prevent the tragedy. Katie's family expressed their belief that the Glynn County Police Department had failed to take the warning signs seriously, a sentiment echoed by friends of the victims. Katie's mother later filed a civil complaint, seeking to hold the department accountable for what she viewed as their inaction. The case left a lasting scar on the community, a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of domestic violence.
