Crime & Safety

Cobb Man Sentenced to Life in Prison

Dennis Brader pleaded guilty Tuesday to the 2012 slaying of his roommate on Jamerson Forest Drive.

A Northeast Cobb man charged with killing his roommate pleaded guilty on Tuesday and was sentenced to life in prison. 

Dennis Bredar, 66, made the plea before Cobb Superior Court Judge Reuben Green, according to a release from the Cobb District Attorney's office. 

He was to have gone on trial next week for the Sept. 6, 2012 shooting death of Rhonda Callihan, 49. She rented a room to him at her home on Jamerson Forest Circle after he had been her next-door neighbor for 25 years, and as he was going through a divorce.


According to prosecutors, Callihan complained to relatives about Bredar's drinking and temper. 

On the night of the murder, Bredar told police investigators he argued with Callihan "over nothing" before shooting her multiple times with a.357 revolver. 

He called 911 and was arrested on the scene. 

At Tuesday's hearing Bredar apologized “for all the grief this has caused.”

Said Callihan's mother, according to the DA's office: “This man has taken a piece of my heart that can never be replaced. I hope every night when he goes to sleep he can see her face when he pulled that trigger.”


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