Man arrested and charged with the senseless killing of pro golfer Gene Siller and two others.
What We Know:
- Last Saturday, Siller was at the Pinetree Country Club by Kennesaw, GA, where he held the director of golf position. He stopped by the country club to let the staff know that the driving range would be used for fireworks to celebrate the July 4th weekend. The pro golfer noticed a white Dodge Ram 3500 pickup driving on the course and was said to have “witnessed an active crime taking place.” Upon approaching the pickup driver, Siller was shot in the head and left for dead near the 10th hole. The shooter fled the scene, leaving behind the truck.
- Police arrived at the scene and found two dead bodies inside the truck’s bed, which authorities identified as Henry Valdez, 46, and Paul Pierson, 76. Both men had been shot, and Pierson was the owner of the pickup truck. Cobb County police released a statement that there was no connection between Siller, 46, and the two men and that he was not the initial target in the shooting.
- Authorities arrested Bryan Anthony Rhoden, 23, Thursday afternoon in Chamblee, GA. The Georgia native has been charged with three counts of murder, three counts of aggravated assault, and two counts of kidnapping. Before shooting Valdez and Pierson, Roden kidnapped the men and taped their hands, legs, and mouth.
- The 23-year-old was originally arrested on five traffic-related misdemeanor charges, including a DUI, hours after the killings. Officials weren’t aware at the time that he was their shooter, and he made bail on Tuesday. Police confiscated a large sum of money off of Roden during the arrest, which they were able to use to force Roden to come back into the Chamblee Police Department to collect…they arrested him when he arrived.
- Roden was arrested in 2016 while attending Georgia State University. He was 18 at the time and shot Shelton Flournoy II,19, three times. Roden, who was also shot at the scene, was said to have been selling Flourney marijuana at the time of the shooting. According to the Fulton County’s District Attorney, the charges against Roden in the case are “nolle prosequi,” meaning they decided not to proceed with prosecution. In 2020, authorities seized $19,000 from Roden’s suitcase when he was boarding a flight to Los Angeles, CA. He punched a drug unit officer and fled the scene…he was not charged. Roden also led Indiana police officers on a high-speed chase last year.
- Siller, who was a father of two young children, was considered a “man of compassion.” Rand Eberhard, a pastor in the community, spoke on how everybody loved Siller and that his murder has left a big void in the community.
- He had seven Top 10 finishes, 19 Top 25 finishes, and tied for 61st place out of 150 players at the Yamaha Atlanta Open back in May. The Georgia State Golf Association sent their condolences to the Siller family and posted the family’s GoFundMe link on their Twitter page. Siller’s funeral will be held on Monday, along with a celebration of life that evening at the Pinetree Country Club.
Please join us in the support of Gene Siller’s family. 🙏 ❤️https://t.co/dNDf3ooU6w pic.twitter.com/lrHz5kCviA
— Georgia State Golf Association (@GSGA) July 4, 2021
At the moment, authorities believe Roden worked alone in the murders, and they are still investigating his motive. According to WSBTV, Roden has obtained high-profile criminal defense attorney Bruce Harvey as his counsel. His bond hearing is set for July 27th.
