The 12 biggest crime stories of 2018

Chase Lee Maddox was the first of six Georgia lawmen to die in the line of duty in 2018. Maddox was helping two Henry County deputies serve an arrest warrant on Tierre Guthrie, described later as an anti-government ex-Marine. Soon after Maddox arrived at the rental home, Guthrie fired shots, killing Maddox and injuring the two deputies. One deputy was able to return fire, killing Guthrie. Officer Maddox was 26 years old. His wife delivered their second child only four days after his death.

City of Atlanta ransomware attack (March 22)

A cyber criminal group released a virus that attacked computer systems throughout City Hall and left the city’s data inaccessible. The group demanded $51,000 in bitcoins in exchange for the encryption key. The city refused to pay the ransom and hired a stable of security consultants to repair the damage at an estimated cost of $17 million. The city won’t say how much data was lost, but it appears that The Watershed Department and Municipal Court were affected the most. Years of Atlanta Police dash cam footage appeared to be lost as well.

CDC worker disappears (April 3)

Epidemiologist Timothy Cunningham left early from his job at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Feb. 12 and wasn’t seen alive again. His body was recovered from the Chattahoochee River after seven weeks of searching. The 35-year-old graduate of Morehouse and Harvard deployed for numerous public health emergency responses, including Ebola, and Zika outbreaks. The medical examiner ruled his death was a suicide by drowning, but his death fueled a variety of conspiracy theories on social media.

Credit: Bob Andres

Credit: Bob Andres

Tex McIver guilty of felony murder (April 23)

In the year’s most-watched murder case, Atlanta attorney Claud “Tex” McIver was found guilty of felony murder in the shooting death of his wife Diane in September 2016 as a friend drove them through Midtown. McIver claimed the shooting was an accident. But over the course of a six-week trial that involved 78 witnesses, prosecutors convinced the jury that McIver shot his 64-year-old wife on purpose because of money troubles.

Credit: Michael Holahan/The Augusta Chronicle via AP

Credit: Michael Holahan/The Augusta Chronicle via AP

Reality Winner pleads guilty (June 26)

The former National Security Agency contractor pleaded guilty to leaking a top-secret government report, and received a record-setting prison sentence. Winner is serving five years and three months for mailing a report about Russian meddling in the 2016 election to the website The Intercept last year. Federal prosecutors, wanting to avoid a trial that could disclose further secrets, called her sentence the longest for anyone convicted of “unauthorized disclosure to the media.”

Cop kills wife, her boyfriend and himself (June 29)

Glynn County police officer Robert Sasser shot and killed his estranged wife and her boyfriend before fatally shooting himself in the chest. A month earlier, Sasser was arrested for domestic violence involving his wife, and had a felony arrest after an armed standoff with SWAT officers. The incident left authorities in Glynn County exposed to charges that they gave Sasser special treatment. In 2010, Sasser and another officer escaped any punishment for the brutal shooting of Caroline Small, despite strong evidence the shooting was unjustified.

Deadly robbery at country club (July 8)

A wedding guest was shot and killed during an armed robbery just outside the Capital City Country Club in Brookhaven. Christian Broder, a 34-year-old restaurant manager from the Washington D.C. area, was waiting with several others for an Uber when they were assaulted by 17-year-old Jayden Myrick. Broder died two weeks after the incident, leaving behind a wife and 9-month-old daughter. Myrick, who had a history of violent behavior, had earlier been shown leniency by a judge who recommended him for a probation program called Visions Unlimited.

Georgia boy found dead at N.M desert compound (Aug. 5)

A months-long search for a missing 3-year-old boy from Clayton County ended tragically in the New Mexico desert. An Atlanta-area detective passed along an urgent tip to the sheriff of Taos County, who attempted to search a desert compound belonging to what police called Muslim extremists. After a standoff, two metro Atlanta men, three women and 11 children were discovered at the heavily armed compound, which had no running water or electricity. Prosecutors would later reveal that the 3-year-old had died during a ritual and that the other children were being trained to be school shooters.

Credit: Peach County Sheriff

Credit: Peach County Sheriff

Fort Valley State sex ring (Oct. 19)

Alecia Leanetta Johnson, a former executive assistant to the president of Fort Valley State University, was arrested on charges of running a prostitution ring on campus. (She also stands accused of prostitution and of stealing scholarship money.) Six men were also arrested for soliciting sex, including an assistant middle school principal and a city manager. The arrests came after a months-long GBI investigation, and only one week before the school’s homecoming.

Credit: Gwinnett Police Department

Credit: Gwinnett Police Department

Manhunt for teens who allegedly killed Gwinnett officer (Oct. 20)

Gwinnett County officer Antwan Toney was investigating a suspicious vehicle parked behind Shiloh Middle School when he was allegedly shot and killed by 18-year-old Tafahree Maynard. Maynard and 19-year-old Isaiah Pretlow crashed their vehicle, then fled on foot, leading police on a manhunt that lasted 44 hours. Pretlow was captured first without incident. Maynard was eventually cornered in a nearby tool shed and reportedly lunged at officers with a lawnmower blade before being fatally shot.

Credit: Bob Chamberlin

Credit: Bob Chamberlin

Serial killer confesses to 3 Georgia murders (Nov. 20)

Middle Georgia native Samuel Little, serving a life term in Texas, has confessed to 90 murders that he claims span the years 1970-2005. The FBI says that Little remembers his killings and victims in detail, and the agency so far has confirmed 34 of his claims. Among the Georgians he claims to have killed—Columbus resident Brenda Alexander in 1979; 18-year-old Fredonia Smith in 1982 near Macon; and an unidentified woman in 1977 also near Macon. The FBI’s site lists six total possible Georgia cases.

DeKalb officer killed in line of duty (Dec. 13)

DeKalb County police officer Edgar Isidro Flores was shot multiple times by Brandon Taylor at a traffic stop on busy Candler Road. The 24-year-old Flores was engaged and had been on the force for almost a year. Taylor fled to a nearby business and hid behind a stack of tires until a police dog found him. Taylor shot the K9 before he was fatally shot by three SWAT officers. The police dog, a 7-year-old shepherd named Indi, survived.

LATE ADDITION: In the year's final week, metro Atlanta saw one more officer killed in the line of duty. We're including that story below.

Credit: Henry County Police Department

Credit: Henry County Police Department

Death of Henry County officer Michael Smith (Dec. 28)

Michael Smith, a seven-year veteran of the Henry police department, was responding to a disturbance at a dentist’s office on Dec. 6, when he engaged in struggle with an armed 53-year-old suspect. A single gunshot killed the suspect and struck officer Smith in the face. Smith underwent emergency surgery at Grady Memorial Hospital and was transferred to the Shepherd Center for recovery. Three weeks later, Smith died at Piedmont Hospital. He is survived by his wife and a 3-year-old son.