GRANTVILLE, Ga. — A verdict has been reached for a man facing charges in a Grantville shooting that left three people dead at a gun shop.
Jacob Christian Muse was found guilty on all 16 counts Monday, including three counts each of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and an additional single count of armed robbery.
The judge said he needed to craft a sentence that would work to protect the community and sentenced Muse to life without parole on multiple counts.
"What I've seen is selfish, cowardly and lacking in remorse," the judge said about Muse and the crime. "So, I don't have any other option than to try to craft a sentence that would hopefully protect our communities and families, businesses from you in the future."
Back in 2022, authorities arrested Muse, 21, of College Park, in connection to the deadly shooting at the Lock, Stock and Barrel gun store and range.
The victims killed were the owners of the business, Evelyn Hawk and Tommy Hawk, along with their grandson Luke.
More on the case
Authorities in Coweta County arrested Muse about a week after the killings of Tommy and Evelyn Hawk, the owners of Lock, Stock and Barrel in Grantville. Their grandson, Luke, was also killed during the incident.
At the time of his arrest, police in Grantville said Muse "frequented the store a good bit" and knew the Hawks. Three dozen guns and the store's security camera recording device were stolen during the triple homicide and robbery, according to police.
Shelby Wright, Luke's aunt, previously told 11Alive the family is thankful for the support they have received from the public since the incident.
“Tommy and Evelyn and Luke were just Christian, hard-working, wonderful people,” she said. “We are just so grateful for the outpouring of support and all the prayers, and we just feel lifted up and loved, right now.”
Luke was preparing to graduate high school.
“He was sunshine,” Wright said. “He was just sunshine. Sweet, thoughtful, sensitive, just coming into his own. He was so excited to graduate in a month, he was so excited to go to Abraham Baldwin (Agricultural College), he was just ready to take that next step. And he loved his family. He loved his family...They were just servants of the Lord... the kindest people you would ever meet.”
Last year, to mark a year since the death of the three Hawk members, their family chose to honor their loss by launching a scholarship.
