In the fall of 1978, the life of Rosemary Elaine Stephens Jackson, a 32-year-old Caucasian woman from Duluth, Georgia, was tragically cut short in a brutal act of violence that was part of a multi-state crime spree. On October 7, 1978, Jackson was kidnapped, robbed, raped, and murdered, a crime that sent shockwaves through her community.
The investigation into her death led authorities to identify Buddy Earl Justus as the primary suspect. Justus was not acting alone; he had an accomplice, an 18-year-old hitchhiker named Dale Goins. Their violent journey began before they reached Georgia. On October 3, 1978, in Virginia, Justus broke into the trailer of a 21-year-old pregnant nurse, Ida Mae Moses, whom he raped and murdered. After this horrific crime, Justus picked up Goins, and together they traveled south.
In the suburbs of Atlanta, they abducted Rosemary Jackson as she was leaving a store. After robbing and assaulting her, they ended her life and left her body on a rural service road. The crime spree did not end there. Justus and Goins continued to Florida, where they kidnapped and murdered 21-year-old Stephanie Hawkins.
Law enforcement eventually caught up with Justus, arresting him on October 11, 1978, in Grundy, Virginia. He and Goins faced trials in Virginia, Georgia, and Florida for the three murders. Justus pleaded guilty to the murder, kidnapping with bodily injury, armed robbery, and rape of Rosemary Jackson. He received a death sentence for her murder and life imprisonment for the other charges in Georgia. He was also convicted and sentenced to death for the murders in Virginia and Florida.
Dale Goins, the accomplice, received multiple life sentences in Georgia and Florida. His defense successfully argued that he had a lesser role in the crimes and had been coerced by Justus. Buddy Earl Justus, after his appeals failed, was executed by electrocution in Virginia on December 13, 1990. Prior to his execution, he expressed remorse and asked for forgiveness from the victims' families.
