On a tragic afternoon in Roswell, Georgia, 20-year-old Nicholas Farrell Abry was fatally shot on June 5, 2014. He and his friend, Spencer David Long, also 20, were killed while sitting in an SUV parked outside of Abry's home on Lynwood Drive. The shooting, which occurred in broad daylight, was witnessed by Abry's mother who was nearby at the time of the incident.
Witnesses reported hearing approximately five gunshots and saw a man fleeing the scene in a dark-colored Audi. Responding to 911 calls from neighbors, Roswell police were also alerted to a reckless driver in a similar vehicle in the vicinity. About 25 minutes after the shooting, police located Stephen Oliver Heller, then 31, in the parking lot of a nearby shopping center, standing next to an Audi that matched the description of the getaway car. Officers observed blood on the dashboard of the vehicle and, upon searching it, discovered a gun holster and ammunition.
A subsequent search of a wooded area near the shopping center led to the discovery of a. 357 magnum revolver, which was later confirmed to be the weapon used in the killings. Investigators determined that the motive for the murders was a money dispute. While in custody, Heller called his girlfriend and confessed to discarding the gun behind the shopping center. Heller, a Marietta man with a history of prior arrests, was charged with two counts of homicide.
Initially, the Fulton County District Attorney's office sought the death penalty against Stephen Heller. However, at the request of the families of both Nicholas Abry and Spencer Long, the prosecution instead pursued a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. In December 2016, Heller pleaded guilty to two counts of malice murder. He was subsequently sentenced to two consecutive life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole.
