7 Charged in Murder of Georgia Lottery Winner

'Don't do it, bro' were among Craigory Burch Jr.'s last words: girlfriend
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 29, 2016 9:03 AM CDT
7 Charged in Murder of Georgia Lottery Winner
Good luck turned to bad for Craigory Burch Jr.   (Georgia Lottery Corporation, via WALB)

Authorities say seven people have been charged in the shooting death of a recent Georgia Lottery winner, the AP reports. Ben Hill County Sheriff Bobby McLemore tells WFXL-TV the seven suspects, who range in age from 17 to 28 years old, all face charges of malice murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. Authorities say three masked men broke into 20-year-old Craigory Burch Jr.'s Fitzgerald home in January and demanded money as he was holding his 2-year-old child. The men reportedly first shot Burch in the legs before leaving, but they then came back inside and shot him again. The attack came two months after Burch won $434,272 from hitting the Fantasy 5 jackpot.

"When they came in, he said, 'Don't do it, bro. ... Please don't do it in front of my kids and old lady,'" Burch's girlfriend, Jasmine Hendricks, tells WALB. She adds that Burch told the intruders they could have his bank card, but when he tossed his pants to the robbers, they couldn't find his wallet and shot him. His mom tells the station, "They took a part of my life away from me. My child that I carried and raised for 20 years." McLemore says he expects there to be more arrests in connection with the attack, which investigators believe was targeted and not random. "We will work around the clock and we will put as many officers as necessary as we did in the beginning," he tells WFXL. (A woman who told a Florida lottery winner she wanted to write a book about him was charged with his murder.)

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