Court upholds Cobb murder conviction
The Georgia Supreme Court has upheld the murder conviction against Willie Bernard Butler Jr., who terrorized a Columbia County home in 2008.
Butler and at least three accomplices broke into a home occupied by Rickey Gibson and Alexis Yates, put a gun in the mouth of the couple's baby boy and struck Yates, the ruling said. After Yates escaped with the infant, Gibson was fatally shot several times. The court also upheld convictions against Butler for burglarizing another home and hijacking a newspaper deliveryman's car.
About the Author
Bill Rankin has been an AJC reporter for more than 30 years. His father, Jim Rankin, worked as an editor for the newspaper for 26 years, retiring in 1986. Bill has primarily covered the state’s court system, doing all he can do to keep the scales of justice on an even keel. Since 2015, he has been the host of the newspaper’s Breakdown podcast.
