In the late evening hours of a July day in 1976, a young boy's life was tragically cut short in a brutal act of violence that began at an Amoco service station off I-20 near Crawfordsville, Georgia. Eleven-year-old Bonnie Bulloch, a male, was at the station helping his stepfather, Henry Lee Phillips. Their ordinary evening was shattered when a car carrying three men, later identified as Jose High, Nathan Brown, and Judson Ruffin, pulled into the station.
At least one of the men had been to the station a week or two prior.
The three men exited their vehicle, with one brandishing a pistol and Ruffin carrying a sawed-off shotgun. They forced Phillips from the booth and High emptied the cash register. When Phillips insisted there was no more money, Ruffin grabbed young Bonnie Bulloch and threatened to kill both him and his stepfather unless Phillips complied with their demands. Phillips was forced into the trunk of their car, while the terrified 11-year-old was placed in the back seat. Throughout the terrifying drive to a remote, wooded area, the men taunted the young boy with threats of his impending death, his pleas for his life echoing in the car.
Upon reaching the deserted location, both Phillips and his stepson were ordered out of the vehicle and forced to lie face down on the ground in front of the car. In a final, merciless act, the assailants opened fire. Bonnie Bulloch died at the scene from a gunshot wound to the head. Phillips was also shot in the head and wrist but miraculously survived the ordeal. He was later able to identify his attackers, leading to their capture.
Jose High, Nathan Brown, and Judson Ruffin were all arrested and faced charges for their heinous crimes. The evidence against them included a confession from Ruffin. In 1978, Jose High was convicted in the Superior Court of Taliaferro County for the murder of Bonnie Bulloch, two counts of kidnapping with bodily injury, armed robbery, aggravated assault, and unlawful possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. He was subsequently sentenced to death. Judson Ruffin was also tried, convicted, and received the death penalty for the murder, in addition to life imprisonment for armed robbery and kidnapping, and consecutive sentences for aggravated assault and possession of a firearm. The legal proceedings for Jose High involved numerous appeals over the years, with his convictions and death sentence being affirmed and at times specific convictions reversed or merged with other charges by the Supreme Court of Georgia.
