Joshua Drucker is slated to stand trial on murder charges this week in Cobb County, seven years after he allegedly gunned down a Marietta man and his Bulgarian girlfriend in a meth-fueled rage.
If convicted, Drucker, 33, of McDonough could face the death penalty. Police say he gunned down David Andrew Robertson, 40, and Lora Nikolova, 25, after a brief quarrel in the kitchen of Robertson's house on April 5, 2004.
The first task for defense attorneys and prosecutors is to pare down a pool of about 130 potential jurors to a panel of 12 jurors and three alternates, a process that is expected to take about two weeks.
Drucker's father, the Rev. Doug Drucker, is expected to be a key witness in the case. The elder Drucker, a minister, reported the slayings to police after his son allegedly confessed to killing two people.
A co-defendant, Melissa Suzanne McCrayer, has cooperated with authorities and is also expected to testify against Drucker.
McCrayer has told prosecutors that she and Drucker used methamphetamine and drank alcoholic beverages before going to visit the victims, who were friends. When Drucker asked Robinson for methamphetamine, he allegedly became angry when Robinson offered only marijuana.
McCrayer said she heard a loud noise and turned to see Robinson crumple to the floor with a gunshot wound. Drucker shot Nikolova when she screamed and began hitting him, according to McCrayer's prior testimony in preliminary hearings.
McCrayer said she and Drucker fled with Robinson's gold necklace, cellphone and wallet and went on a 36-hour meth binge that included trips to a Mexican restaurant, a motel room in Sandy Springs and an Atlanta strip club before they were caught.
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