Jurors saw graphic images of the bloody crime scene where two people were found dead as the trial began Wednesday for the man accused in the 2004 double homicide.
If convicted in Cobb County Superior Court, Joshua Drucker, 33, of McDonough, could face the death penalty. Drucker is accused in the April 2004 shooting deaths of David Andrew Robertson, 40, and Lora Nikolova, 25.
Robertson and Nikolova were found dead in Robertson's home near Marietta. Prosecutors allege that Drucker shot the pair after a quarrel.
Drucker's father, the Rev. Doug Drucker, is expected to be a key witness in the case. The elder Drucker reported the homicide to police the night of April 6, 2004.
A co-defendant, Melissa Suzanne McCrayer, has cooperated with authorities and is also expected to testify against Drucker.
Defense attorneys have previously said that Doug Drucker violated his "clergyman's privilege" by reporting the crime to police. In March 2009, the father testified that his son said, "Dad, I killed somebody." The two then prayed together before the younger Drucker left.
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 Robertson for methamphetamine, he allegedly became angry after Robertson offered only marijuana.
McCrayer said she heard a loud noise and turned to see Robertson 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 Robertson'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.
Henry County police Maj. Jason Bolton, the first witness to take the stand Wednesday in Judge Robert Flournoy's courtroom, testified that Drucker told his father he had killed someone. The father contacted Henry police, who in turn notified Cobb police, Bolton said.
Cobb County police officers went to Robertson's home, expecting to find the deceased man, Detective Chris Twiggs with Cobb County police testified. Instead, he spotted a pool of blood next to a woman's body, he said.
“At that point, we didn’t know how many victims we may or may not have," Twiggs said. "And we didn’t know where the suspect was.”
Just a few feet away from the woman, later identified as Nikolova, police found Robertson's body, Twiggs said. The first responding officers also found a shell casing and ammunition, he said.
“Both had a significant amount of blood, and both were deceased," Twiggs said.
Joshua Drucker and McCrayer were taken into custody between 7 and 8 a.m. April 7, 2004, at the Ramada Inn on Franklin Road in Marietta.
Drucker emerged from Room 119 of the hotel carrying a pistol and other items, which he dropped before surrendering to police, Sgt. Jason Best with Cobb County police testified Wednesday afternoon. Best had spotted two vehicles, reportedly seen at Robertson's home, parked behind the hotel.
Among the items Drucker carried out of the hotel room was a blue bag containing personal items such as a watch, wallet and ammunition, Steven Gaynor, a Cobb police detective, told the jury. Inside the wallet, Gaynor said he found two Visa cards with Andrew Robertson's name.
Also in the bag was a small digital scale -- "a small scale similar to that would be used in the drug trade" -- said Gaynor, who will return to the witness stand Thursday morning.
The trial resumes at 9 a.m. Thursday.
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