Tavin E. Campbell was 24 when he was shot to death on the morning of September 20, 2014. Police found him at the Walton Crossing Apartments on Mulkey Road near Austell; he had been struck three times in the torso. Campbell lived in Marietta.

Investigators identified 27-year-old Orain Clifton Patterson as the suspect. The two men had been involved in stealing a tractor-trailer loaded with furniture that belonged to Patterson’s father. Tensions over what to do with the stolen goods escalated. Patterson arrived at Campbell’s apartment accompanied by a 16-year-old girl who stayed in the car; inside, an argument turned violent and Patterson produced a .45-caliber handgun and shot Campbell multiple times. Patterson and the teenager fled toward Miami but Patterson was captured by U.S. Marshals two days later and the girl was returned to her family.

In February 2017, Patterson pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; a judge accepted a negotiated plea and imposed a 30-year sentence with credit for time served. Campbell’s mother and sister were in court but were too overcome to speak.