[chris]

Christopher Patrick Golden pleaded guilty on December 8, 2022, to murder, including malice murder, in the deaths of two Cobb County, Georgia, deputies and was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus 55 years.

Golden was 30 years old in September 2022 and lived with his uncle, Christopher Cook, on Hampton Glen Court in the Marietta area of Cobb County. Cook, not Golden, was the subject of an arrest warrant for failure to appear in a theft by deception case. Deputies Jonathan Randall Koleski, 42, and Marshall Samuel Ervin Jr., 38, went to the 2400 block of Hampton Glen Court at about 7:45 p.m. on September 8, 2022, to take Cook into custody. Koleski had served with the Cobb County Sheriff's Office since 2007; Ervin had served since 2012.

Cobb County Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer said someone inside the home confronted the deputies with a weapon while they were taking Cook into custody. Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Jason Saliba later told the court that Golden appeared in the doorway aiming a rifle at the deputies. They drew their pistols, repeatedly ordered him to drop it and fired. At least 12 rifle rounds were fired through the home's front windows.

The second or third shot struck Koleski in the groin and hip area, hitting a major artery, and he bled to death. The eighth shot struck Ervin in the head. The exchange was captured on the deputies' dash and body cameras. Golden called 911 twice, saying "I'm involved with the police right now. I've engaged them with my rifle," without mentioning the deputies' injuries or requesting medical help. Golden and Cook were taken into custody after a standoff reported to have lasted nearly four hours; the police chief had called it brief.

Golden was charged with murder and aggravated assault on a police officer. Cook was also arrested on theft charges; no charge against him in the deputies' deaths was reported. His case remained pending when Golden entered his plea. Prosecutors did not publicly state a motive beyond the confrontation over Cook's attempted arrest.

In the recorded interview, which the narration dates to September 9, 2022, investigators question Golden about his actions when the deputies arrived. He says he was in his room when he heard someone running around and picked up his rifle for that reason. An investigator tells him that account is false. Golden also describes twice trying to join the military and failing to reach the required entrance-test score.

The Cobb County District Attorney's Office had been preparing to seek the death penalty. Golden entered his negotiated plea before Judge Julie Adams Jacobs in Cobb Superior Court, also pleading guilty to aggravated assault and other charges. District Attorney Flynn Broady said the plea was accepted after consultation with the families and spared them years of hearings and appeals. He described the sentence as the maximum possible short of the death penalty. Golden waived all post-conviction relief, including parole, clemency and pardon, and declined to make a statement in court. No appeal or later change to the sentence has been reported.