After being granted a new trial in 2020, a man was once again found guilty of murder Friday in the killing of his stepson, the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office said.
Aaron Edward Strong, 74, was found guilty of felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of possession of a knife during the commission of a felony in the August 2015 attack of his 31-year-old stepson, Maurice Arnold. Sentencing will occur at a later date.
Strong, who was 67 years old at the time, returned to a home he shared with his wife, Arnold and his 22-year-old step-grandson and became upset about dirty dishes in the sink, the district attorney said. A verbal altercation ensued between the men, and a friend of the grandson stopped by the house after hearing yelling in the background of a video game chat.
The friend attempted to diffuse the situation by advising that Arnold and the grandson leave. While the two men were retrieving some items from the home, Strong pushed Arnold and began stabbing him with a hunting knife, according to the DA. Arnold later died from his injuries.
Strong’s step-grandson tried to intervene, but officials said he was also stabbed and injured by Strong.
After police arrived and spoke to witnesses, Strong was arrested.
In 2017, Strong was convicted in the killing and sentenced to life in prison. However, he filed an appeal and was granted a new trial on June 29, 2020, which led to the reversal of his previous conviction.
According to documents from the Supreme Court of Georgia regarding the original trial, the state presented nine other “violent acts allegedly committed” by Strong, six of which the state did not present evidence that Strong had been charged with or convicted of such incidents.
The state high court concluded that “the trial court abused its discretion by admitting evidence of these other violent acts.”
During the second trial, which began Monday, Arnold’s mother testified about her relationship with Strong and her family members. The grandson also testified about his injuries and the circumstances that led up to the killing.
As of Friday, Strong has been in the Cobb County Jail for 904 days. He was never transferred to prison after his 2017 sentencing.
Strong previously spent time in prison in Florida. He served two terms, including one from February 1974 to July 1983 on a second-degree murder charge in Miami-Dade County, Florida Department of Corrections records show.
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