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No criminal charges have been filed in connection with the April 2003

killings of north Fayette resident David O. Mangham and his friend, Francis

Michael Fowler of Ellenwood.

But Mangham's family won some partial justice Wednesday morning

when a Clayton County judge ruled in their favor in a wrongful death

civil suit filed against William Edward "Eddie" Robbins of

Jonesboro, one of Mangham's former high school friends.

Robbins has not been charged with any crime in connection to the shooting

deaths of Mangham and Fowler.

The suit, filed by David Mangham's parents Orris and Carrie Mangham,

claimed Robbins shot David Mangham in the back of the head after he confronted

Robbins for stealing roughly $3,000 from a cabinet under the kitchen

sink at Mangham's residence.

After Mangham was shot, Robbins fired a second shot into his head, the

suit claims.

The suit also alleged that Fowler, who was working in a detached garage

at Mangham's residence in the Princeton Chase subdivision, soon

appeared in the kitchen where Robbins shot him twice in the back of the

head, killing him also.

Attorneys for both sides were given 30 days to "work out" damages

in the case or the judge will come up with a plan of his own, said Melvin

Hewitt Jr., an Atlanta attorney who represented the Manghams.

Hewitt said he was somewhat disappointed with the victory, however.

The Manghams wanted Robbins to answer questions related to the killings

in the hopes more information could be uncovered and lead to criminal

charges being filed, Hewitt said.

Instead, Robbins and his attorney declined to answer the list of questions

filed by the Manghams, and they refused to submit to a deposition in

the case, Hewitt added.

"I wanted to depose Eddie Robbins," Hewitt said.

The Manghams hope Fayette County authorities will seek an indictment

against Robbins "so a jury can decide whether he should be in jail

or not," Hewitt said. No criminal charges have been filed against

Robbins, but his name came up during the investigation as sheriff's

detectives looked for information on a Colt .45-cal handgun Robbins used

to own which could not be located.

Robbins went to Forest Park High School with Mangham and Fowler. Robbins

and Mangham were friends until about 10 years ago when they had a falling

out, police said. According to the lawsuit, Mangham had loaned Robbins

$1,000 before the shooting took place, allegedly on April 23 after Mangham

returned home from the Dunkin' Donuts in Fayetteville.

David Mangham, the owner and operator of Georgia Topsoil Company, was

in excellent health at the time of his death at age 48, according to

the suit.

Robbins' attorney in the case originally filed an answer with the

court but the answer was later withdrawn, Hewitt noted.

Since Robbins didn't submit to the deposition or answer the questions

filed for the Manghams, it equates to Robbins admitting to the allegations

of the complaint under Georgia's civil practice law, Hewitt explained.

Hewitt also represented the parents of Beverley Watson in the wrongful

death suit filed against her husband, Jim, who was later convicted of

murdering her by a Fulton County jury. James Lamar Watson reported his

wife disappeared from the couple's east Fayette home; her remains

were found over two years later in a wooded area in south Fulton County.