Cobb County

Man shot mother 17 times, police reveal in court

By Ross Cavitt
By Ross Cavitt

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A Cobb County man accused of killing his mother and then an elementary school teacher told police he felt he was under surveillance.

Justin Hess, 31, told officers he snapped because of worries about the “New World Order,” a detective testified in court Tuesday.

Hess, who is facing murder charges in Cobb and Fulton counties, looked disheveled as he listened to Detective Jonathan Bradley testify.

Bradley said Hess shot his mother, Carol Ann Hess, 61, inside the townhome they both shared at the Mulberry Farms community in East Cobb in December. According to the medical examiner’s report, Carol Ann Hess was shot 17 times.

Hess allegedly went through a handgun’s magazine of 20 during the original incident, then loaded it back with a magazine of 30.

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Police say after killing his mother, he started talking in a British accent to neighbors, who became suspicious.

Hours later, police said, Hess drove to a Sandy Springs storage facility, where he stabbed Bill Haynes, 53, to death before stealing Haynes’ Audi S5 convertible.

Haynes was the beloved director of the Alpharetta city band and a teacher at Atlanta’s E. Rivers Elementary school.

He killed the teacher because he thought he needed another car, but then apparently promptly drove it home, Bradley testified.

Police later found an AR-15 and samurai sword in the original car’s trunk.

Officers searched for Hess, but it was a neighbor who finally spotted the 31-year-old after he returned to the townhome on Sunday.

The SWAT team forced its way inside the home and took Hess into custody.

Hess allegedly told police that his mother didn't understand his concerns over what was happening in the world.

Police found evidence that Hess was being treated for Asperger’s, a form of autism, Bradley said.

Cox Media Group

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