Franklin Callens

Franklin C. Callens was a 27-year-old man from Austell, Georgia, whose life was tragically cut short on a Sunday morning as he was heading to work. Remembered as a beloved son, brother, and friend, Franklin was known for his kind heart and the positive impact he had on those around him. His life was one of promise, filled with the everyday routines of work and time spent with loved ones, all of which came to a violent end in the parking lot of his own apartment complex.

The morning of December 13, 2015, began like any other for Franklin. Shortly before 9 a.m., he was leaving his home at the Concepts 21 apartment complex on Six Flags Drive, on his way to his job. In the parking lot, his path crossed with two teenagers who were in the final stages of a violent, multi-county crime spree. The youths, 15-year-old Christopher Iverson Green and 16-year-old Cameron Miguel Mathis, had started their rampage hours earlier, around 3 a.m., in neighboring DeKalb County.

Their crime wave began with the carjacking of a woman's vehicle, which they soon crashed in a fiery wreck on Interstate 20. Undeterred, they proceeded to carjack a Kia Sorento from two men at gunpoint and returned to Green's Atlanta home for several hours. Later that morning, they drove the stolen Sorento to Douglasville, where they robbed a man of his cell phone and other belongings as he walked to his truck. From there, they drove into Cobb County and arrived at the Austell apartment complex where Franklin Callens lived. There, they confronted Franklin, shooting him once in the chest with a .357 revolver before stealing his 2013 Toyota Corolla and fleeing the scene. Franklin died from his injuries.

The investigation, led by the Cobb County Police Department, moved swiftly. A critical piece of evidence proved to be the cell phone stolen from the victim in Douglasville. Investigators were able to track the phone's signal to Christopher Green's residence. Upon searching the home, police discovered property belonging to other victims of the crime spree, directly linking Green and Mathis to the string of violent robberies. Franklin's stolen Toyota Corolla was later found abandoned in Clayton County. Within hours of the murder, both teenagers were in custody.

In January 2019, as jury selection was about to begin for their trial, both Green and Mathis accepted plea deals. Christopher Iverson Green pleaded guilty to malice murder, armed robbery, hijacking a motor vehicle, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Cobb Superior Court Judge C. LaTain Kell sentenced him to life in prison plus five years on probation. Cameron Miguel Mathis pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, as well as armed robbery, hijacking a motor vehicle, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Mathis was sentenced to serve 25 years in prison. Both were to receive credit for the time they had already served since their 2015 arrest.

Following the sentencing, the Cobb County District Attorney's office released a statement reflecting on the tragedy. "This is unfortunate all the way around, with these two young men who chose this path in life," said prosecutor Patricia Hull. "They chose to take another man's life." The resolution in Cobb County addressed the most serious charges, though charges remained pending against both defendants for their crimes in DeKalb, Fulton, and Douglas counties. The case is now considered closed, with both perpetrators serving their sentences in the Georgia prison system.