In the summer of 2015, a quiet Suwanee, Georgia community was rocked by a horrific act of violence that claimed the lives of a mother and her two young sons. Rebecca Jo 'Beckie' Manning, a 37-year-old woman, was killed on July 22, 2015, in a brutal murder-suicide orchestrated by her husband.
The tragedy unfolded in the early morning hours at the family's home on Old Atlanta Road. Matthew Fields, 32, after fatally shooting his wife and her two children, turned the gun on himself. The victims of the rampage included Rebecca's sons, 9-year-old Jacob Jerry Dean Smith and 8-year-old Jared Will Smith, who were reportedly asleep in their beds when the attack occurred. Rebecca's father, Jerry David Manning, 75, was also shot and critically injured during the incident.
Investigations into the motive for the devastating event pointed towards escalating domestic turmoil. Law enforcement had been called to the residence for a domestic dispute the evening before the shootings, though at the time, Rebecca Manning had been uncooperative with deputies. A family member later suggested that Manning's desire for a divorce may have been the catalyst for the tragic events that transpired.
On the morning of the killings, Fields contacted his mother, confessing to the murders and his intention to take his own life. When authorities arrived at the home, they discovered a scene of unimaginable horror. The two young boys and Fields were deceased inside the residence. Rebecca Manning, despite being shot, had managed to make her way to the front porch where she was found screaming but succumbed to her injuries after being transported to a hospital. Jerry Manning, who was shot five times, was found in critical condition and unconscious. The community was left to mourn the senseless loss of a devoted mother and her two innocent children.
