Arrest Made In 2002 Double Murder, Bodies Burned In Car Trunk

DOUGLASVILLE, GA -- A man has been arrested in a drug-related double murder that happened in Douglasville, Paulding County, in 2002, according to the Paulding County Sheriff's Office.

Andrew John Shadrix, 44, was arrested after deputies and prosecutors were able to secure a confession May 22. He has been charged with two counts of felony malice murder thus far. As the investigation continues, more charges are likely in this case, police said. Shadrix is being housed in the Paulding County Jail without bond.

The badly burned bodies of Shad Andrew English, 21, and Dennis Jeffrey Jackson, 19, both of Paulding County, were located in the trunk of a vehicle on I-20 in the early morning hours of Sept. 15, 2002. The Atlanta Fire and Police Departments responded to the vehicle fire, which was just within the western city limits of Atlanta. Atlanta authorities discovered that there was more to the vehicle fire than they expected.

An autopsy revealed that the two men had been shot to death. Atlanta homicide detectives were never able to generate any substantial leads and the case eventually went cold.

For years there was speculation that the murders occurred in Paulding County but no conclusive evidence was ever found. As a result of some investigative leads that were developed in other cases, Paulding deputies assigned to the FBI Gang Task Force, along with prosecutors from the Paulding Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office, began working the case again in early 2018.

As a result of the confession, it was determined that the murders occurred at 170 Cohran Store Road, Douglasville, which is located in unincorporated Paulding County. This residence is no longer intact and was destroyed many years ago by the property owner for unrelated reasons. Shadrix, who is currently incarcerated in the Georgia State Prison system on unrelated charges, was in the Paulding County Jail for court proceedings when he confessed to the 2002 double murder.

Paulding County Sheriff Gary Gulledge said, "This is a case where perseverance paid off and a guilty conscience got the best of the suspect. We are glad the Jackson and English families will now have closure knowing that their sons' murderer is in custody."

The Paulding County Sheriff's Office, worked in conjunction with the Atlanta Police Department Homicide Unit Cold Case Squad, the Paulding Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Gang Task Force.

If you have any additional information regarding this case or any other cold case murder, call the Paulding County Sheriff's Office at (770) 443-3010.