Newlywed's killing stuns neighbors

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By Larry Hartstein and Christian Boone

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Neighbors of an Atlanta newlywed are stunned by her weekend slaying and by the arrest of her new husband, who was naked when police found him outside the couple's house.

Madison McLester had been married less than two weeks.

Fulton County Sheriff's Office Minchillo McLester has been charged with the shooting death of his wife, Madison McLester.

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"I'm totally shocked out of my mind," next-door neighbor Cynthia Jenrette told the Associated Press Monday. "It's just unbelievable."

Police say 29-year-old Minchillo McLester fatally shot his 25-year-old wife, Madison McLester, early Sunday after they returned from a Halloween party. He's being held without bond on a murder charge at the Fulton County Jail, with a scheduled court date of Nov. 15.

The pair had married Oct. 10. Police do not have a motive in the killing.

Madison McLester was found on the floor of their home in the 1000 block of Oak Street, in southwest Atlanta. She had been shot several times, police said.

Neighbor Terry Brown said Minchillo McLester always seemed like a nice guy and never seemed angry.

"He was a very cool guy," Brown said. "I was proud of them. They were a young couple who just got married and they were doing so well. They seemed like lovebirds."

Madison McLester, a 2007 Georgia State University grad whose maiden name was Madison Roarabaugh, turned a college internship into a full-time job as an accountant in Georgia-Pacific's financial reporting group.

She was so enthusiastic about her work she volunteered to recruit GSU students as entry-level accountants.

"She was an excellent representative of Georgia-Pacific, a real team player and everybody loved her," Georgia-Pacific spokesman Greg Guest told the AJC.

Around 4:40 a.m. Sunday, officers responded to a call about a woman being shot, Atlanta police spokeswoman Officer Kim Jones said. They found Minchillo McLester walking nude in a park across the street from the light blue house the couple shared, police said.

He was interviewed by homicide detectives, then arrested. Minchillo McLester, who legally changed his name from Clark last year, turned 29 on Saturday.

His wife's co-workers are "very devastated" by news of the killing, said Guest, adding that Georgia-Pacific called in grief counselors for Monday and Tuesday.

"She was very outgoing, a great team player," Guest said. "She was always willing to volunteer for projects, for community outreach programs like a Habitat for Humanity build. She was leading the Georgia State recruiting effort.

"This is a person who was representing the profession, and the company, very well," he added. "Our thoughts are with her family."

-- The Associated Press and staff writers Angel K. Brooks and Kristi E. Swartz contributed to this report.