With the execution of Barrow County death row inmate Scotty Morrow now on the calendar, the woman who prosecuted Morrow is remembering the double murder.
Lydia Sartain was the Hall County District Attorney at the time Barbara Ann Young and Tonya Woods were shot to death in Gainesville in 1994.
Sartain said the murder scene was violent.
"I remember going out to the house," Sartain said. "It was very graphic, there had been a little bit of a struggle. Three people were shot - two were killed, one of the women survived - but it was a very bloody scene."
Sartain said she remembered at least one child was in the home during the whole ordeal.
"One of children was present at the home when it happened and was asking what happened to his mother," Sartain said.
Sartain said the murders happened when Young refused to resume a romantic relationship with Morrow.
"They had dated and had broken up," Sartain recalled. "She was a very dedicated mother, was working, going to school, taking care of her house and her children and had not wanted to date Mr. Morrow any more."
Sartain said she was always very careful about seeking the death penalty because she wanted to make sure she reserved that option for the most heinous cases.
"This was a case that stood out because of the multiple murders...it was a terrible case," Sartain said.
Morrow, who is now 52, has been on death row for 25 years. If his execution is carried out as schedule, it will be the first execution in Georgia in 2019.
Morrow is scheduled to be executed May 2 at the Georgia State Diagnostic Prison in Jackson. Sartain said if possible, she will attend the execution when it takes place.
