BYRON, Ga. (AP) — Prosecutors say a Georgia man accused of fatally shooting two Peach County sheriff’s deputies could face the death penalty if he’s convicted.
News outlets report that District Attorney David Cooke announced Thursday that his office will seek the death penalty against 57-year-old Ralph Stanley Elrod Jr.
A grand jury indicted Elrod this week on murder and aggravated assault charges in the November deaths of 39-year-old Deputy Daryl Smallwood and 41-year-old Sgt. Patrick Sondron.
Authorities say the deputies were shot upon approaching Elrod’s home while responding to a report that Elrod used a rifle to threaten two young men who were riding a motorcycle and a four-wheeler near his property.
Elrod was wounded in a barrage with other law enforcement after the initial shootings. He’s being held in jail without bond.
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