Brandon Astor Jones

Georgia man faces Feb. 2 execution for 1979 slaying

A condemned murderer faces a Feb. 2 execution for the 1979 slaying of a Cobb County convenience store manager, state officials said.

Brandon Astor Jones was convicted of the 1979 murder of Roger Tackett. If executed, Jones will be the 38th Georgia inmate put to death by lethal injection.

Jones was indicted for malice murder and originally convicted and sentenced to death on Oct. 11, 1979. However, his death sentence was subsequently vacated by the district court due to trial court error in allowing a Bible in the jury deliberation room, according to state officials.

Jones’ was resentenced to death in September 1997. He subsequently filed a motion for new trial, which was denied on Jan. 11, 2000.

The Georgia Supreme Court affirmed Jones’ death sentence on Nov. 20, 2000.

Jones’ attorneys have asked a federal appears court to stay his execution, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. A codefendant, Van Roosevelt Solomon, was executed in 1985.