Thomas DeJose, identified in later records also as Tommy DeJose, was shot to death on or about December 2, 1984, in or near Catoosa, Georgia. A witness, Daryl Ehrlanger, and DeJose had accepted a ride from Larry Eugene Moon; Ehrlanger escaped when Moon stopped the car while DeJose was shot in the head. Moon later admitted firing the shot but maintained he acted in self-defense, saying DeJose tried to rob him at knifepoint.

Material later disclosed in appellate proceedings and reported by the Georgia Supreme Court included DeJose’s prior 29-month armed robbery sentence, fugitive status from New York, a blood alcohol level of .17, autopsy signs of recent drug use, and that Ehrlanger failed a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation polygraph.