Two men were convicted Thursday and will spend the rest of their lives in prison in connection with a 2021 double homicide in Spalding County.
Eric Cabrera Lopez and Carmen Emilio Torres were found guilty of charges including malice murder, armed robbery and arson at the end of an eight-day trial, District Attorney for the Griffin Judicial Circuit Marie Broder said. The two were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The bodies of Carlos Benford, 36, and Joshua Wyatt, 29, were discovered April 13, 2021, in a burning truck on Jackson Road near the Butts County border by firefighters and sheriff’s deputies, officials said. When crews extinguished the flames, Broder said the bodies were found in the bed of the Chevrolet pickup covered by trash and debris.
The victims had been reported missing out of Henry County by their families just two days prior, the Spalding sheriff’s office previously said. Investigators added that Benford and Wyatt went to meet a man to discuss a joint business venture and were never heard from again.
The investigation led authorities to a home in the 300 block of Dutchman Road, which is about 6 miles east of Griffin and 6 miles west of where the burning truck was located. Broder said a search warrant was executed at the home and officials determined that was where the homicides occurred.
The sheriff’s office said the residence had been completely vacated. Furniture and other items had been burned in the backyard and the inside of the house had been sprayed with bleach, officials added.
Credit: Spalding County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Spalding County Sheriff's Office
Despite the suspects using “a great deal of effort in their attempt to conceal the crime scene,” it was determined that Benford and Wyatt were shot multiple times in the residence, according to Broder. Through interviews, officials said they learned that the bodies were loaded into the bed of the stolen truck, covered in garbage and left in the yard for several days until being driven to the location where they were found.
Lopez was arrested April 15, 2021, but no details were provided on Torres’ arrest. During the course of the trial, more than 600 pieces of evidence were considered by the jury members, who deliberated for about two hours before returning guilty verdicts.
“I am truly grateful for every witness that came forward to help us bring justice to the families whose hearts were broken by the reprehensible acts of these defendants,” Broder said.
Charges against Alicia Rojo Sanchez, a third suspect in the double homicide who was arrested in August 2021, remain pending, Broder said.
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