Four Georgia men arrested for 'beating to death' ex-Marine who survived TWO tours of duty in Iraq

By Snejana Farberov

PUBLISHED: 09:20 EST, 2 May 2012
UPDATED: 09:34 EST, 2 May 2012

UK Daily Mail:

Police have arrested four suspects in connection with the beating death of a former U.S. Marine who was found unconscious outside of a party at a Cobb County, Georgia, apartment complex in March.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Arthur Batchelor, 37, Tarell Secrest, 36, and Jason Hill, 35, were taken into custody on Tuesday for allegedly killing 34-year-old Zachary 'Zach' Gamble. Another suspect, 38-year-old Sean Hall, of Atlanta, was arrested on Monday.

Hall is also accused of violating his probation stemming from a DUI conviction in 2009, according to the Marietta Daily Journal.

Nabbed: Arthur Batchelor, top left, Tarell Secrest, top right, Jason Hill, bottom left, and Sean Hall, bottom right, are accused of killing ex-Marine Zachary Gamble

All four suspects have been charged with felony murder, aggravated assault and aggravated battery. They are being held without bail in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center, police say.

On Tuesday, the victim's mother, Tina Robbins, told the Marietta Daily Journal that she was 'elated' that arrests have been made in her son's killing.

Hero: Zachary Gamble, a former U.S. Marine, served two tours of duty in Iraq between 2001 and 2005

Gamble, of Acworth, Georgia, was attending a friend's birthday party in the Concord Chase Apartments near Smyrna on March 25 when he got into an altercation with a group of men in the parking lot, according to investigators.

Police would not explain what happened next, only saying that they received a call from a taxi driver at 6am who reported having struck Gamble.

Crime scene: Zachary Gamble was at a birthday party in the Concord Chase Apartments near Smyrna when he got into a fight

When officers arrived on the scene, the 34-year-old man was discovered unconscious on the ground. Police, however, believe Gamble's fatal injuries did not stem from being hit by a vehicle.

Gamble was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, where he was removed off life support on April 8 without ever regaining consciousness.

While Gamble's autopsy results have not been made public, the victim's relatives have said that Gamble died from severe head trauma

Dad: Iraq War veteran Zachary Gamble is survived by his 7-year-old son, Luke

Mike Gerhard, of the Cobb County Medical Examiner's Officer, told the Marietta Daily Journal that officials are still waiting for Gamble's toxicology screen results, which could take 60 to 90 days.

Gamble, who served two tours of duty in Iraq between 2001 and 2005, is survived by his 7-year-old son, Luke.