Marjorie Krystal Evans Mallory repeatedly told Spalding County authorities that her then-husband, Tom Mallory, was threatening to kill her. She left warnings on her Facebook page.
“It’s sad that I have to walk around, terrified for my life and my children’s,” she posted Aug. 3. “I know if something happens to me. Please know who did it. This man has said numerous times that he’s going to kill me. I am posting and trying to leave a paper trail. This man is extremely dangerous.”
Marjorie Mallory, 44, was shot to death outside the courthouse in Griffin, the county seat, on Sept. 13. Tom Mallory, 55, was charged with murder. He died on Sept. 28 from self-inflicted gunshots wounds, their daughter said.
Two days before she was shot, a judge granted Marjorie Mallory’s request for a divorce and permanent restraining order against Tom Mallory. Investigators said he also shot himself but initially survived, and was taken to a hospital.
Divorce filings show Marjorie Mallory’s counselor believed she was in “grave danger” of Tom Mallory, whom their children described as “evil.” He had threatened to kill her multiple times since 2018, cut off the power, water and internet to her home, stole her cat, and crawled under her house to eavesdrop on her conversations, according to court records.
In 2019, Tom Mallory fired a gun outside Marjorie Mallory’s home, then he called 911 to report an active shooter on the property, she said in a subsequent petition for a protective order. Marjorie Mallory said a responding deputy told her he’d almost gotten into an accident on his way to the property “because he knew the next time police got called out there, it was going to be to remove (Marjorie Mallory) in a body bag.”
“I don’t know how much a person has to suffer before police or courts actually help. I told Krystal to call the police,” a friend of Marjorie Mallory, whose nickname was Krystal, said in a July 24 affidavit filed in the divorce case on Sept. 9. “She did, but also said they won’t help.”
Spalding Sheriff Darrell Dix wrote in a social media post that the couple had a “toxic relationship” and in most cases, deputies couldn’t determine who was the primary aggressor.
“Both would claim that the other started the fights,” Dix wrote in a Sept. 14 post. “On occasions where witnesses were present and interviewed by deputies they said they didn’t see anything, or said it didn’t happen like it was described by either Mr. or Mrs. Mallory. On other occasions it was her word against his, or his word against hers with no marks on either except old bruising, or no marks at all.”
The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to questions about the case. A Spalding County court representative said she couldn’t help and a judge ended a call seeking comment.
‘They dropped the ball.’
Marjorie Mallory’s daughter, Precious Evans, said her mother was failed by Spalding County authorities, who “dropped the ball.” She said her mother told a sheriff’s deputy on Sept. 12 that Tom Mallory was violating the protective order she was granted Sept. 11, but that nothing came of it.
“My mom called the day before her murder and advised that he was stalking her,” Evans said. “They did nothing.”
She and her mother were at the courthouse Sept. 13 for a hearing in a criminal forgery case against Tom Mallory, who was present, Evans said. She said a magistrate judge issued a warrant for Tom Mallory’s arrest on forgery charges during the hearing, but gave him until Monday to turn himself in.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has requested the arrest warrant and other records related to the hearing.
Evans said her mother’s friend, who also attended the hearing, sought a protective escort for Marjorie Mallory’s departure from the courthouse. Evans said she and the friend had to leave the courthouse before Marjorie Mallory, who stayed to attend a hearing in an eviction case.
Dix wrote in his post that no deputy was asked to escort Marjorie Mallory out of the courthouse. He said video shows her walking past deputies in the courthouse lobby without asking for assistance.
“No one is picking one person over the other or believing one over the other. No one is blaming Mrs. Mallory for what happened to her,” Dix said in his social media post. “We have to take facts and evidence and weigh them against the law in order to act. This is a horrible thing that happened and people are emotional and angry about it. Mrs. Mallory’s family believes she did no wrong and he was the bad guy. Mr. Mallory’s family believes he did no wrong and she is the bad guy.”
‘It’s over. Move on.’
Court records show Tom Mallory had been accused of repeatedly threatening to kill his wife since 2018. She said in her December 2022 divorce complaint that they had married in November 2010 and separated in June 2022, after he had forged a deed to her home.
Marjorie Mallory got two temporary protective orders against Tom Mallory, in December 2022 and February 2023, claiming he continued to intimidate and harass her. She said the sheriff’s office had been called multiple times and that Tom Mallory had been arrested at least twice in connection with domestic violence incidents.
Tom Mallory faced family violence-related charges in 2017 and 2019, but those were ultimately dismissed, court records show. In 2021 he pleaded guilty to a single count of falsely reporting a crime and was fined $685. He was on probation through March 2023 in relation to that case.
Marjorie Mallory’s first protective order against Tom Mallory was dismissed upon her instruction in January 2023. The second was dismissed in April 2023 after neither party showed up for a court hearing. The divorce case stalled for more than a year while Marjorie Mallory was without an attorney, records show.
On Aug. 22, she sought an emergency order preventing Tom Mallory from harassing and threatening her. She said he had sold some of their property, including vehicles for their construction business.
On Sept. 9, two days before the final divorce hearing, Marjorie Mallory filed several supporting affidavits, including from her children and counselor, who expressed fear for her safety. A friend stated that Marjorie Mallory had shared “so many heartbreaking concerns.”
In one affidavit, Marjorie Mallory’s daughter said her mother’s cat had been stolen by Tom Mallory, a “very horrible evil being.” The daughter said that Tom Mallory “pulled a gun on us when we tried to retrieve said cat.” Evans said in an affidavit that Tom Mallory was always yelling at and threatening to kill Marjorie Mallory, whom she said he cheated on.
The divorce was finalized the morning of Sept. 11. Tom Mallory had evaded service of divorce filings and not participated in the case, Superior Court Judge Benjamin Coker said in an order. He permanently barred Tom Mallory from going within 500 yards of Marjorie Mallory and from harassing, threatening or abusing her. She was awarded sole ownership and possession of multiple pieces of property, including their marital home and construction business equipment.
Minutes after the divorce order was signed, Marjorie Mallory published on Facebook that she “got blessed today.” A Sept. 12 post on her Facebook profile states: “Dude please leave me alone. It’s over. Move on with you life. Plz. Respectfully.” The next day, Marjorie Mallory was dead.
Domestic violence a growing problem
In recent years, there has been an increase in domestic violence cases, according to the Georgia Commission on Family Violence.
From 2012 through 2022, at least 1,738 Georgians died due to domestic violence, and thousands more were victims, the commission says. In 2022, guns were the cause of 81% of the deaths resulting from domestic violence.
The City of Atlanta launched a campaign called “Atlanta says NO MORE” earlier this year to focus on an increase in domestic violence.
Evans said the authorities did not properly address her mother’s concerns about Tom Mallory.
“My mom reached out over the course of a year, and they would not take her seriously,” she said.
GET HELP
If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, help is available by calling these hotlines:
Georgia: 1-800-33-HAVEN (1-800-334-2836)
National: 1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233)
