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 gun

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