Gerrold Shropshire, a 50-year-old male, traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, for what should have been an enjoyable weekend outing to watch a Falcons football game in October of 1998. He was a manager at Lester Coggins Trucking Co. and was accompanied by a colleague and shipping supervisor, 51-year-old Ronnie Gutkowski. They had plans to meet with a business associate, 31-year-old Phillip Dover of Gainesville, Georgia, at the Atlanta Hilton & Towers where Shropshire and Gutkowski were sharing a
room.
The trip took a tragic turn when a maid discovered the bodies of all three men in a 24th-floor room on Sunday, October 18, 1998. They had been stripped to their underwear and shot execution-style in the back of the head with a. 45-caliber handgun. The men appeared to have been forced to the floor before being shot at point-blank range. Their wallets and identification were missing, leading police to initially investigate robbery as a possible motive. Investigators noted the lack of a struggle in the room and believed the killings were planned and not random.
The investigation led police to Timothy Carl Dawson after he was arrested in Memphis, Tennessee, during a traffic stop. At the time of his arrest, he identified himself as Harry Lee Johnson. A search of his vehicle uncovered a. 45-caliber pistol, which was later confirmed to be the murder weapon, as well as credit cards and ID documents belonging to the victims. It was discovered that Dawson had also murdered a fourth individual, 19-year-old LaDarius Hawkins, in a similar fashion at a Days Inn in College Park just a few days prior to the hotel slayings.
Timothy Carl Dawson was indicted on 32 charges, including murder, armed robbery, and aggravated assault for the deaths of Shropshire, Gutkowski, and Dover. During his trial, prosecutors presented a significant amount of evidence, including the items found in his possession and DNA evidence. Despite his defense team's assertion that he was framed by drug dealers, Dawson was found guilty of the four murders. In November 2002, a jury sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
