He Had a Wife — and a Girlfriend Who'd Just Learned She Was Pregnant. Then He Took the 'Coward’s Way Out'

A Georgia man murdered his wife and the pregnant, mother-of-two he was dating before taking his own life in what police are calling a double murder-suicide.

Kevin Akins, 37, shot his wife Rebeca Akins, 35, dead on the morning of May 21, at her apartment in Dalton, according to a release from the Dalton Police Department.

Dalton is a city in the northwest section of the state located approximately 20 miles south of the Tennessee border.

Police say Kevin then got in his car and drove to the home of Cindel Rhoden, 33, a mother-of-two he had been dating and who’d just learned she was pregnant with a baby boy, according to family members.

Kevin then murdered Rhoden before taking his own life, the DPD said in the release.

Rhoden was found dead by her father, who went to her apartment after not hearing from the victim for days, police said.

Rebeca’s body was found after co-workers requested a welfare check on her when she missed three days of work without notice, according to the release.

Officers said they arrived at her apartment on the evening of May 23, and were let in by staff after being unable to get someone to come to the door. Once inside, officers found Rebeca’s body with an apparent gunshot wound to the head, according to the release.

Detectives said they were then called in to investigate Rebeca’s death, and viewed surveillance footage showing Kevin leaving the apartment complex at dawn two days prior.

They were then able to track the suspect’s vehicle to a nearby apartment complex, which authorities surveilled while awaiting a search warrant. During this time, on May 24, authorities witnessed a man later identified as Rhoden’s father coming into the apartment and quickly leaving. According to the release, Rhoden’s father was calling 911 to report that his daughter and the suspect were dead.

Police say the investigation is still in the preliminary stages and have not released a possible motive.

Rhoden’s family had started a GoFundMe page in hopes of raising money for her funeral and to help her two daughters.

“Cindel was taken from us in a senseless act of violence. She was devoted to her work, and worked hard as a single mother trying to navigate and figure out life,” her family wrote.

They also say she was killed by a man who then “took the coward’s way out” when he took his own life.

“Cindel was more than just a victim of this tragedy, she was kind, full of life, and a devoted mom doing her best for her girls,:” her family wrote.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.