In the quiet community of Auburn, Georgia, the life of 45-year-old Brian Whitfield, a White/Caucasian male, was abruptly and violently cut short on December 6, 2014. A passerby made the grim discovery, finding Whitfield shot to death in the driveway of his home on Flowery Branch Road. The scene suggested a home invasion that had turned deadly. Investigators believe Whitfield was shot as he tried to flee from his attacker or attackers.
Several items were missing from his home, and his distinctive 2005 Dodge Ram 'Rumblebee' edition truck had been stolen. The vehicle was later found partially stripped and abandoned in Atlanta.
The investigation into the senseless killing of the father of three quickly gained momentum. Within a week, on December 12, 2014, the Gwinnett County Police, with assistance from the Griffin Police Department, made their first arrest. Marquavis Benton, 26, of Griffin, was taken into custody and charged with felony murder and armed robbery. He was subsequently booked into the Gwinnett County Jail and held without bond. The arrest brought a glimmer of hope for justice to a grieving family and a shocked community.
The case continued to unfold into the new year. On January 5, 2015, authorities announced the arrests of two more suspects. Kathryn Amelia Voight, 27, of Atlanta, and 16-year-old Marckell Honeycutt were both charged with felony murder and armed robbery. Voight was already in custody in neighboring Cobb County on an unrelated charge. Due to the severity of the crime, Honeycutt was charged as an adult. At the time of their arrests, police did not release specific details about the roles each of the three suspects allegedly played in the home invasion and murder of Brian Whitfield.
