Man Pleads Guilty to Murdering Golf Pro Gene Siller and 2 Other Men, Avoids Death Penalty

Bryan Anthony Rhoden, 26, has received three life sentences after pleading guilty to the 2021 murders of Gene Siller, Paul Pierson and Henry Valdez

• Bryan Anthony Rhoden, 26, pleaded guilty to 17 counts in connection with the murders of professional golfer Gene Siller, Paul Pierson, and Henry Valdez

• As part of the plea deal, Rhoden avoided the death penalty

• Siller was killed after witnessing a crime involving Rhoden and the two other victims. Rhoden held Valdez and Pierson captive with duct tape and zip ties before placing them in the back of a vehicle, authorities have said

A man accused of killing three men in a triple homicide in 2021 has received a life sentence without parole after pleading guilty to the murders.

Bryan Anthony Rhoden, 26, pleaded guilty to 17 counts in connection with the murders of professional golfer Gene Siller, Paul Pierson, and Henry Valdez at Pinetree Country Club in Kennesaw, Ga., the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office stated in a news release, per CNN, WSB-TV Atlanta, and WRDW-TV, on Friday.

Rhoden received three life sentences without parole in a plea deal in exchange for being spared the death penalty, according to the outlets. In addition, he received two additional life sentences, plus five years.

“In the face of tragedy, justice prevailed today,” District Attorney Flynn D. Broady Jr. said in the news release. “We stand with the families whose lives were shattered by this senseless violence.”

PEOPLE has reached out to the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office for further comment.

Related: Pro Golfer Gene Siller Witnessed 'Crime in Progress' Before He Was Killed, Police Say

On July 3, 2021, the body of Siller, 41, was found with a “gunshot wound to the head” at Pinetree Country Club, authorities stated in a release obtained by CNN at the time. Siller was the manager of the club, according to WRDW-TV.

The bodies of the two other victims were located in a white Ram 3500 pickup truck nearby, registered to Pierson, with gunshot wounds also, multiple outlets including Atlanta's 11Alive News reported.

Rhoden was found and charged days later after being found about 25 miles north of Atlanta, CNN reported. His arrest came after a search by police in the area; at the time, police said the suspect had last been seen driving onto the golf course with the bodies of Pierson and Valdez, according to The New York Times.

Related: Ga. Golf Pro Killed at Country Club Before Police Find 2 Bodies in Bed of Truck Suspect Drove

Siller was shot and killed after witnessing a crime involving Rhoden and the two deceased men on the golf course, Cobb County police said in a statement obtained by NBC News at the time.

According to the district attorney’s office, per CNN, Pierson was “instructed to bring marijuana” to a meeting with Rhoden and Valdez at an auto shop in Jonesboro, Ga, on the day of the incident.

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“At some point, Rhoden held Valdez and Pierson captive with zip ties and duct tape before placing them in the back of a truck later found on the golf course,” the authorities added, per the outlet.

Rhoden pleaded guilty to 17 counts, including seven counts of felony murder, three counts of malice murder, three counts of aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during commission of a felony and tampering with evidence, two counts of kidnapping with bodily injury, authorities confirmed, per CNN, WSB-TV Atlanta, and WRDW-TV.

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