Father’s murder conviction upheld
The Georgia Supreme Court on Monday upheld the murder conviction against Rodney Reaves for the 2003 beating death of his 11-year-old daughter Joella.
Before Joella’s death, Reaves and his wife, Charlott, who also was convicted of murder, left the girl in their garage for hours at a time. Joella died of kidney failure caused by severe trauma to her body, and police found a baseball bat and broken umbrella in the Reaves’ home matching the patterns of the girl’s injuries, the ruling said.
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.
