In the pre-dawn hours of July 20, 2017, the quiet of Ellijay, Georgia, was shattered by a 911 call reporting a shooting. When Gilmer County Sheriff's deputies arrived at a location near River Hill Road, they found 26-year-old Charles Patrick Thurman, a white male, deceased from an apparent gunshot wound. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in to assist with the death investigation around 4:00 AM.
Known to friends and family as Patrick, Thurman was a graduate of Gilmer High School and Gupton Jones College of Mortuary Science. He worked as a funeral attendant at Bernhardt Funeral Home and was a member of Little Baptist Church. His sudden and violent death sent ripples of shock and grief through the community.
The investigation into Thurman's death quickly focused on what appeared to be a domestic dispute. Authorities identified the individual responsible for the shooting, and on July 26, 2017, an arrest was made in connection with the case. Brenton Pastuszka, a 27-year-old from Ellijay, was taken into custody.
Pastuszka was initially charged with possession of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. The GBI stated that these charges were a direct result of the investigation into Thurman's death and that Pastuszka was the other individual involved in the domestic dispute that led to the fatal shooting. The investigation was to be submitted to the District Attorney for review and potential further prosecution upon its completion.
