LaGRANGE, Ga. (WRBL) — A LaGrange man was sentenced to life behind bars without parole after being convicted of multiple charges stemming from a double murder in August of 2021.
Joshua Wayne Nutt, aka Joshua Wayne Bradley, aka A-1, was found guilty by a Troup County jury on Tuesday following a seven-day trial. Bradley was convicted of the following:
- Two counts of malice murder
- Six counts of felony murder
- Two counts of armed robbery
- Two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon
- Two counts of use of a firearm by convicted felon during commission of another felony
- One count of possession of firearm by convicted felon
Coweta Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge N. Markett Baker sentenced Nutt to not just one life sentence, but four life sentences, as well as an extra forty years without parole.
The case was prosecuted by Chief Assistant District Attorney Jack Winne. Troup County Sheriff’s Office Captain Kelli Ellington and Lieutenant Jeff Adams led the investigation.
According to the Coweta Judicial Circuit Attorney’s Office, this is what the investigation revealed:
On Aug. 7, 2021, two Newnan men — Marcus Lee Caswell, Jr., 46, and Travis Michael Lodato, 31 – went to Nutt’s home to try and collect a debt. He was not home at the time.
The victims went back to Newnan and Nutt later arrived at his house. Nutt was upset, telling another person at the home he planned to steal the victims’ motorcycles.
Nutt contacted one of the victims to arrange for their return to Nutt’s house. In the early afternoon of Aug. 8, the victims arrived at Nutt’s house on their motorcycles. They stayed at the house along with Nutt and his then-girlfriend for several hours.
Later on, while Nutt’s then-girlfriend was outside and the three were inside, Nutt shot Caswell in the rear of the base of his skull, then shot Lodato five times, including once in the head
Nutt then took their jewelry and other possessions, spray-painted Lodato’s motorcycle and drove it to Newnan. Nutt planned to break into the victims’ apartment, but ended up returning to LaGrange where the victims were still dead in his home.
Early morning Aug. 9, Nutt and a “yet-to-be-charged accomplice” took the victims in Nutt’s truck to Lower Glass Bridge Road bridge. Nutt then dumped the bodies into West Point Lake, according to the investigation.
Later that day, a fisherman found Caswell’s body, and on Aug. 10, a boater found Lodato’s body.
A couple days later on Aug. 12, investigators searched Nutt’s home at Lower Big Springs Road using a warrant. The victims’ motorcycles were found locked in a trailer and two pools of “apparent blood” were in Nutt’s crawlspace.
As the search continued, Nutt’s pickup truck drove by the home. Nutt led deputies on a chase until his truck was stopped by deploying stop sticks.
Later on while searching Nutt’s truck, he was found to be in possession of Caswell’s motorcycle helmet as long as his car keys and Lodato’s chest plate.
With assistance from GBI and scientists, investigators found evidence including blood and DNA in Nutt’s home. Investigators say Nutt did try to clean up the crime scene, partly by ripping off drywall and burning it.
Nutt claimed he did not know how the victims were killed in August 2021 interviews, then at trial, Nutt claimed to have killed the victims in self-defense.
At the time of the murders, Nutt was on parole with these prior felony convictions:
- Armed robbery, Clayton County, 2001
- Multiple counts of entering an automobile, Floyd County, 2001
- Possession of Firearm by Convicted Felon and violations of the Georgia Controlled Substances Act, DeKalb County, 2015
- Trafficking in Cocaine, DeKalb County, 2015
- Violations of the Georgia Controlled Substances Act, DeKalb County, 2015
- Possession of a Controlled Substance by Inmate, Baldwin County, 2017
During sentencing, the State showed Nutt was associated with the Ghostface Gangsters, which is considered a violent and notorious statewide prison/street gang.
