In the quiet suburbs of LaGrange, Georgia, a tragedy unfolded that cut short the life of 18-year-old Iiaonna Jayde Green. A friend of the family she was living with, Green was a talented and vibrant individual with dreams of appearing on 'The Voice' and enlisting in the Army as a nurse. Her life, however, was tragically taken along with four members of the Burtron family in January 2015.
The victims were discovered in their home after a concerned employer reported that 69-year-old William Burtron had uncharacteristically missed work for several days. When sheriff's deputies arrived at the residence, they found the family's cars parked outside but received no answer at the door. Forcing their way inside, they were met with a grim scene. William Burtron was found deceased in the kitchen, and the bodies of his wife, 68-year-old Sheila Burtron, their daughter, 33-year-old Christie Lee, their 16-year-old granddaughter, Bailey Burtron, and Iiaonna Green were discovered in three separate bedrooms. It was later determined that at least four of the victims had been shot.
The suspect in the quintuple homicide was identified as Thomas J. Lee, Christie Lee's 26-year-old husband. Investigators believe the victims had been deceased for approximately three days before they were found. Lee fled the state after the killings and was apprehended at a bus station in Tupelo, Mississippi. His arrest came after a pastor, whom Lee had approached for help with car trouble, recognized him from news reports and contacted the authorities.
Thomas J. Lee was charged with five counts of malice murder. During the investigation, it was revealed that Christie Lee's parents had become increasingly unhappy with him due to his financial instability and failure to uphold his responsibilities. Lee claimed to have purchased a gun with the intention of taking his own life. He alleged that when Bailey Burtron discovered him with the weapon, he blacked out and could not recall the subsequent events. Investigators believe he strangled the teenager before fatally shooting the other four victims. In August 2015, Thomas J. Lee pleaded guilty but mentally ill to the five murders and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
