A northwest Georgia man will spend the rest of his life in prison without parole after being convicted of murdering his girlfriend in her Cherokee County apartment, according to court records.

Michael Keith Russell, 42, of Ringgold, was sentenced Friday on charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, false imprisonment, two counts of aggravated assault and possession of methamphetamine, court records show. He was arrested March 3, 2017.

Woodstock police described Russell as the boyfriend of Christy Waller, 41, who he beat and strangled to death, according to the arrest warrants presented in court. Her body was found by her two children.

The warrant said he repeatedly hit “her face, neck and head with his hands, a laptop or pieces of a laptop and other unknown hard objects.”

In other news:

The incident happened at 9:38 a.m., Atlanta police told Channel 2 Action News. The post office is located on 400 Pryor Street SW.

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In this file photo from October 2024, Atlanta Braves outfielder Jorge Soler and teammates react after losing to the San Diego Padres 5-4 in San Diego. The Braves and Soler, who now plays for the Los Angeles Angels, face a lawsuit by a fan injured at a 2021 World Series game at Truist Park in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)

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