Two men arrested in deadly Cobb home invasion

The two arrests, the first one on Tuesday, were made as police try to connect several threads running through this case, one that also includes a dead woman found in a burning car and a high-speed chase that ended with Walker’s suicide.

Police have said since the home invasion early Friday that drugs, women and “aspiring” rap artists played roles.

The first call to police came around 2:40 a.m. Friday from a neighbor to a house at Brass Trail in Austell that was the target of home invaders.

Police found four people shot.

Nicholas Garner, 20, was dead. Three were wounded, Garner’s 22-year-old brother, Aaron, Dimitri Hunter, 22, and Brandon Cox, 25.

The house was owned by the Garners’ mother.

Less than an hour after police responded to the Brass Trail address, a woman was found inside a burning car a short distance away.

Police suspect they know her identity but they are waiting for dental records or DNA to provide confirmation before releasing her name.

Pierce said the dead woman was in that car, a late model Chevrolet Impala was spotted near the house on Brass Trail just before the home invasion as well as other times.

Hours later last Friday, in early evening, detectives in south Cobb County were following leads when they spotted a Mercury Marquis also seen on Brass Trail at the time of the home invasion.

Reaching speeds exceeding 80 mph, police chased the car while Walker, sitting in the passenger seat, fired at least 11 bullets in the patrol car behind.

The 25-year-old driver, Marcus Bernard Woodward of Hiram, pulled over when Walker shot himself.

Kiturah Dylin Thomas of Austell was in the backseat during the chase, Pierce said.

Woodward was charged with obstruction and aggravated assault on a police officer. Thomas, however, was not charged.

Sgt. Dana Pierce said the two men had picked up Thomas after the home invasion.