A Lithia Springs man was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 10 years for stabbing a man he found sleeping in his ex-girlfriend’s apartment, according to prosecutors.
Rendell Russell was found guilty on eight charges, including malice murder, aggravated assault and cruelty to children in the third degree, according to Cobb County District Attorney Flynn D. Broady Jr.
Russell stabbed Gregory James to death with a machete on Oct. 27, 2020, while five children were present, Broady’s office said in a news release Friday. James, 26, died at Grady Memorial Hospital from his injuries.
Russell entered his ex-girlfriend’s apartment at the Sierra Forest complex on Mableton Parkway uninvited and was forced to leave, prosecutors said. He returned later that day and entered with a key he had secretly kept. After getting inside, Russell stabbed James more than 10 times.
His ex-girlfriend, who witnessed the murder, and the children testified against Russell.
“This was a senseless and heinous murder,” Assistant District Attorney Larissa Ollivierre and Senior Assistant District Attorney Erman Tanjuatco said in a joint statement. “Gregory James will never see his son graduate elementary, middle or high school, and no verdict will change that. Still, we are thankful that the jury’s verdict brings some form of closure to Mr. James’ family and friends.”
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