Man charged with murder in deadly hammer attack in Conyers

Rockdale County deputies have put a murder suspect behind bars after a man died within days of a brutal attack with a hammer.

Roy B. Dees, 32, was arrested and charged with murder in the death of Jimmy Vance, the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Tuesday. His family said Vance was hit repeatedly in the head with a hammer outside his home on Broad Street in Conyers.

Credit: Rockdale County Sheriff's Office

Credit: Rockdale County Sheriff's Office

Vance died at Grady Memorial Hospital five days after the horrific attack, which happened May 16, according to the sheriff’s office. His family said Vance was loading tools onto his trailer after a workday before he was beaten in “a random act of violence.”

“This was such a senseless crime,” his brother, Dennis Vance, said. “(The suspect) didn’t take his wallet, tools or van. The only thing he took was Jimmy’s life.”

Rockdale sheriff’s office spokesman Deputy Jedidia Canty said Dees fled from the scene after the attack. He was apprehended and charged with aggravated assault, but his charges were upgraded to murder following Vance’s death.

It is not clear how Dees was connected to the case.

Vance’s family set up a GoFundMe page to cover funeral expenses. The page had raised more than $2,000 of its $8,000 goal as of Tuesday.

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