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LAWRENCEVILLE, GA – A man accused of killing the woman working for him was found guilty of murder and sentenced to a life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Edward Rodley Smith, Jr., 39, was convicted of malice murder for the shooting death of 33-year-old Breana Marie Rogers in October 2022.
“This defendant took advantage of Breana Rogers and killed when she tried to escape from him,” Gwinnett District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. “This verdict and sentence, we hope serve as justice for her loved ones and provides them with closure and healing.
Rogers was staying with Smith at a hotel in Stone Mountain on the evening of the shooting. On Oct. 7, 2022, she left the hotel in an attempt to get away from him. Smith pursued her. Within 30 minutes Rogers was dead from three gunshots to the back and one to the back of her head.
During trial, the jury learned that several witnesses call 9-1-1 to report a domestic altercation on the side of Stone Mountain Highway in Smith’s BMW. One witness reported hearing her shout, “I’m tired of this.” The jury head that minutes later more calls to police reported a crash of the same BMW with witnesses reporting a man firing a gun at the scene.
Smith testified during trial that he shot Rogers because he was afraid for his life when she reached for his wallet. At trial, he testified that she was wielding a gun. The jury returned a guilty verdict in about 90 minutes.
Assistant District Attorneys Diamond Johnson and Don Geary prosecuted the case with assistance from DA’s Investigators Cory Henry and Kelly Perkins, along with Assistant Director of Victim Witness Advocate Program, Karen McKinlay. The Gwinnett County Police Department and the Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office were instrumental in closing this case.