Investigators Search for Clues in Murder-Suicide That Killed Deputy, Family

Authorities say Paulding County Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Sam Driskell, his wife and their 12-year-old daughter were murdered after they had gone to bed during the tragic murder-suicide at the family home in the overnight hours between Monday and Tuesday.

The suspected shooter, Driskell’s 21-year-old stepson Felix Almonte, was also killed in the incident, apparently of a self-inflicted gunshot from the corporal’s service weapon the former Hiram High School student allegedly used in the attacks.

The department issued a press release Wednesday afternoon, detailing more of what investigators believe happened at 7419 Ridge Road, south of Hiram.

The bodies of the family members were found some time after 1:37 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, when deputies went to check on Driskell at his home after he uncharacteristically failed to show up for a court case in Cherokee County earlier in the day.

“When Deputies arrived at his home around 1:37 p.m. they knocked on the door and received no response,” sheriff’s office spokesman Cpl. Ashley Henson said. “Once they looked inside the residence they saw what looked like a family member in distress laying on the floor. At that point, Deputies forced entry into the residence and discovered a horrific scene.”

When Sheriff Gary Gulledge became aware Cpl. Driskell was one of the deceased, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in to investigate. On Wednesday, the GBI told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that all four family members were shot in the head. The AJC also reported investigators believe the shootings may have occurred between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. Monday, when a neighbor heard muffled gunfire.

Henson said in a press release sent at 3 p.m. Wednesday that the preliminary investigation determined the following:

• Sometime in the overnight hours (between 01/05/15 and 01/06/15) while the Driskell family was sleeping, 21-year-old Felix Almonte took what is believed to be Corporal Sam Driskell’s service weapon (Glock Model 21 .45 ACP) and killed the entire family while they were sleeping.
• Corporal Driskell was shot while sleeping in his bed, his 12-year-old daughter Carolyn Driskell was shot while sleeping in her bed.
• Driskell’s 36-year-old wife Muachin Driskell was shot in a doorway between the living room and the bedroom of the daughter.
• At some point after that, Almonte turned the gun on himself and died as a result of self-inflicted gun shot wound to the head.

“As of now, we do not have a motive or any reasoning as to why Almonte would have done this,” Henson said. “GBI Agents will be speaking with friends, neighbors, and other family members to see if they can determine what may have motivated Almonte.”

The deceased have been taken to the GBI Crime Lab for autopsies, Henson said. Funeral arrangements had not been finalized as of Wednesday afternoon.

The killings sent shock waves through the department and community. Driskell, a beloved deputy, was a decorated officer who worked as the custodian of the Sex Offender Registry in the sheriff’s department’s Crimes Against Children Division.

Biographical information on Cpl. Sam Driskell (from PCSO):

A 1980 graduate of Paulding County High School, he voluntarily enlisted in the U.S. Army and served for 20 years, achieving the rank of Sgt. First Class (E7) and was a drill sergeant among many of his military duties.

His military achievements included the Legion of Merit Award, Meritorious Service Award, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Superior Unit Award, Army Good Conduct Medal, and National Defense Service Medal along with several other awards.

He served in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm in Kuwait in the 1990s.

Driskell began working for the sheriff’s office on April 25, 2005. He streamlined the sex offender registry process in the county, and was also the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association Region 2 (Metro Atlanta) Director for the Sex Offender Registry.

“Sam was a ‘Paulding County Boy’ born and raised; he was a 1980 graduate of Paulding County High School, a decorated Army veteran, and a 10-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office,” Sheriff Gulledge said in the press release. “He was an excellent employee and an even better person. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this sorrowful time.”

(Photos courtesy of PCSO: Cpl. Sam Driskell department photo; Driskell in the U.S. Army; Felix Almonte senior high school photo)

Read more:

• Paulding Deputy, 3 Others, Shot Dead in Apparent Murder-Suicide (Patch)
• Corporal Sam Driskell Awarded Commissioner’s Public Safety Award (Patch)
• GBI: Paulding deputy, 3 family members shot in head (AJC)
• Paulding Co. detective, wife, child murdered in home (Fox5)
• Paulding Co. deputy 1 of 4 dead in apparent murder-suicide (WSB-TV)
• Sheriff’s deputy, 3 others found dead in apparent murder-suicide (11Alive)
• Deputy, family killed in triple murder, suicide (CBS 46)