'Abusive Monster' Found Guilty of Fatally Beating His Girlfriend, a Mother of Four

Mar. 15, 2025

Melinda Jolly.Photo:GoFundMe

GoFundMe

A Georgia man will face the rest of his life behind bars for beating his girlfriend, a mother of four, to death.

Charles Franklin Cook, 42, was found guilty of felony murder, aggravated assault, and three counts of cruelty to children in the second degree, the Cobb County District Attorney’s office said ina statementon Feb. 5. He was handed a life sentence plus an additional 30 years of confinement.

Atlanta News First, which reviewed the arrest warrant, reports that Jolly had “multiple blunt force trauma injuries to the head and neck.”

It was not the first time law enforcement had been called to the home, with police having previously been dispatched there “several times” on domestic violence calls, Cobb County Police Officer Aaron WilsontoldWAGA.

In October 2023, Cook was charged with cruelty to children after allegedly picking up Jolly’s 4-year-old twins while drunk. He then reportedly left one of the twins in a hot car for 30 minutes while he was passed out, and officers had to break a window to retrieve the child, according to the Cobb County District Attorney’s release.

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“The abusive monster took Melinda’s life,” the GoFundMe appeal reads. “Thank God he was taken into custody there before he could hurt anybody else.”

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

source: people.com