In the spring of 2009, a gathering of the Town & Gown Players in Athens, Georgia, turned into a scene of tragedy. Among the members of this close-knit theater group was Thomas Cole 'Tom' Tanner, a 40-year-old male. On that Saturday, April 25th, what was supposed to be a celebratory picnic was shattered by an act of violence that would claim three lives.
The perpetrator was identified as George Zinkhan, a professor at the University of Georgia and the husband of another theater group
member, 47-year-old Marie Bruce. Witnesses reported that Zinkhan had been at the picnic earlier, left after an argument with his wife, and then returned armed with two handguns. He first shot Tom Tanner, then his own wife, Marie Bruce. The third victim was 63-year-old Benjamin 'Ben' Teague, who was reportedly trying to intervene and help his friends.
Following the shootings, Zinkhan fled the scene, leaving his two young children in his vehicle which he abandoned before disappearing. This act sparked an intensive two-week manhunt for the professor. The search concluded when Zinkhan's body was discovered in a shallow grave he had dug for himself in a wooded area not far from his home. He had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Investigations later revealed that Zinkhan's motive appeared to stem from marital problems with his wife, Marie Bruce, and her relationship with Tom Tanner. Police found evidence suggesting Zinkhan had been secretly recording conversations with his wife, seemingly to gather information for a divorce, and that the murders were a result of the ongoing contact between Bruce and Tanner. The tragic event left the local community and the theater group in shock, mourning the loss of three of its active and beloved members.
