In the summer of 2018, the life of a well-respected Cartersville, Georgia, attorney was cut tragically short in an act of violence that stunned the local community. Antonio Benjamin Mari, a 41-year-old male, was fatally shot in his law office on June 20, 2018. The incident was not a random act of violence, but a targeted attack by a disgruntled man connected to a recent legal case.
The perpetrator was identified as Walter Samuel Radford, 33, the ex-husband of a woman Mari had represented
in divorce proceedings. The divorce had been finalized just hours before the deadly encounter. Radford, who had not appeared for the final hearing, went to Mari's office and shot him multiple times. After the shooting, Radford fled the scene.
Following the murder, Radford contacted his ex-wife and informed her of what he had done. This call prompted her to contact the authorities, who then discovered Mari's body at his office. Law enforcement, with the assistance of the Bartow County Sheriff's Department, located Radford's vehicle at his ex-wife's residence. Inside the home, which he had forcibly entered, they found Radford deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The tragic event was described as a murder-suicide, leaving the community to mourn the loss of a man known for his positive attitude and dedication to his profession. Mari, a former high school history teacher, had transitioned to a career in law, opening his own practice where he handled family law cases. Colleagues and former students remembered him as an inspirational and kind-hearted individual. The investigation revealed that Mari had expressed concerns about Radford's potential for violence prior to the shooting.
