A Cobb County Grand Jury indicted a pair accused of killing an elderly man, then stealing his money and his truck — with his body still inside.
Casey Collins, 30, and Sarah Cook, 23, each face nine counts in the indictment, obtained Thursday by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The two are accused of killing Collins’ grandfather, Edward Smith, in early May and driving around in Smith’s 1997 Ford Ranger for at least four days, according to police.
Collins and Cook were indicted for malice murder, felony murder, four counts of armed robbery, two counts of aggravated assault and for concealing the death of another.
Smith, 78, of Lilburn, had been stabbed and strangled when his Cobb County police found his body inside his truck, which had been abandoned. Collins and Cook were both arrested and booked into the Cobb jail, where they have remained without bond.
“This is a nightmare. It’s a complete nightmare,” Smith’s daughter, Lisa Stitley, told The AJC after the pair’s arrest in May. “I can’t even begin to imagine. I keep thinking I’m going to wake up.”
Before his death, Smith made the drive daily from his home in Gwinnett County to visit family in Cobb County, Stitley said. From Cobb, Smith would often drive to Villa Rica to visit his girlfriend.
But on May 2, Stitley said goodbye to her father for the last time. When she and her sister hadn’t heard from Smith three days later, the family called police. Collins and Cook, Stitley said, appeared to be as worried as others about Smith’s whereabouts.
Two days later, police located Smith’s abandoned truck, with his body still inside. Investigators believe that after killing Smith, Collins and Cook took the man’s money and went shopping.
Trial dates have not yet been set for Collins and Cook.
About the Author
