Court upholds death sentence for Cobb slaying
The federal appeals court in Atlanta on Thursday upheld the death sentence against one of the longest-serving members on Georgia’s death row.
Brandon Astor Jones stands convicted for the killing of Roger Tackett, the manager of a Tenneco convenience store in Cobb County during a robbery on June 16, 1979. Jones was sentenced to death at a trial held that same year, but a federal judge later granted him a new sentencing trial because jurors had improperly been allowed to bring a Bible into the deliberation room. Jones was re-sentenced to death during a second trial in 1997.
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.
