Death sentence tossed in restaurant slayings
A judge has thrown out the death sentence imposed against Joaquin Enrique Arevalo for the 1998 armed robbery and slayings of two workers at Tanner’s Rotisserie Chicken in Lawrenceville.
Superior Court Judge Dane Perkins found that Arevalo’s trial attorneys failed to investigate and president evidence of Arevalo’s mental retardation, post-traumatic stress disorder and organic brain damage. Restaurant manager Marc Ratthaus and cook Adolpho Gonzales were killed during the attack by Arevalo, his brother and another man. Prosecutors said Arevalo targeted Tanner’s because he had been fired from there for refusing to take out the trash.
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.
