Kriti Mehrotra
When Steven Finch, Eugene McClam, and Robert Caverly were found dead near the former’s Gwinnett County, Georgia, home on November 21, 2020, it left the entire community shaken to the core. That’s because the three men were heinously killed in a quiet neighborhood without there being a direct probable connection between them, as explored in A&E’s ‘After the First 48: Along Came a Killer.’ However, with the help of extensive investigations as well as key witness statements, officials were able to positively identify and formally arrest the perpetrator within a day, on November 22.
Steven Finch, Eugene McClam, and Robert Caverly Were Fatally Shot Near The Former’s Home
On November 17, 1987, Steven Andrew Finch entered the lives of Janet Posey Wiggins and Russell Andrew Finch III. Born in Cordele in Crisp County, Georgia, he was one of their five loving children. While the parents divorced not long after, he grew up alongside his stepparents, sisters Jessica and Kayla, as well as brothers Brandon and Caleb, all of whom were married by 2020. The former Tri-County Seafood employee was a father to an adorable little boy named Ezra Cox. He seemed always to do his best to provide and be present, all the while remaining compassionate.
As for Eugene McClam, he was born around 1975 in Atlanta, Georgia, but was primarily raised in Gwinnett County alongside at least one elder sister, by the name of Leila McClam Randolph. He reportedly graduated from South Gwinnett High School in 1993 before building a life as a self-employed businessman, a reliable family man for his nieces and nephews, and eventually a loving fiancé. Coming to Robert “Bob” Caverly, he was reportedly born on August 24, 1956, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Peggy Caverly Brown and Robert Caverly Sr., as one of their five beautiful sons. He hence grew up in the same area alongside his brothers, Gary, Scott, Jeff, and Mark, with whom he ostensibly maintained a close bond that grew even stronger following the passing of their father.
Bob actually attended Polytechnic Institute High School in his hometown before ultimately settling in Georgia, where he attended the Landmark Church and served as a maintenance worker. He was seemingly leading a good life, surrounded by the love of his mother, stepfather Elliot Brown, brothers, their parents, and friends, that is, until November 21, 2020, came around. On that fateful afternoon, local police responded to a call in the Creek Water Court area of Lawrenceville, only to find three victims of a heinous daylight shooting in 33-year-old Steven’s home. While he was sadly found dead inside his garage, and 64-year-old Bob’s remains were recovered from beside the front door, 45-year-old Eugene was found wounded on a neighbor’s porch. The latter was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, but alas, he passed away not long after.
Steven Finch, Eugene McClam, and Robert Caverly’s Killer Was Arrested Within 24 Hours
As soon as first responders arrived at the scene, it was rather evident to them that the shooting was purposeful, owing to the brutality of it, how quickly it happened, and the number of victims. They initially couldn’t find a connection between the three seemingly unrelated targets, since they hailed from different backgrounds and led different lifestyles. Still, they were certain that something else was afoot. That’s when a canvas of the area, as well as witness statements, brought to light that a young man was seen fleeing from the house with a bookbag and blanket in hand moments after the gunshots rang out. According to records, he was then seen trying to get into a Lyft, but when the driver refused to accept him as a passenger due to the scene behind, he fled to the nearby muddy, wooded area.
With all this, officials were able to identify the strange young man as 21-year-old Justice Lusk, who had been dropped off in the neighborhood by an Uber mere minutes before the fatal incident. They also tracked his footsteps with the help of a K-9 unit, uncovering that he had eventually stopped at a home on Millstream Trail, where he had stashed several items in the crawl space beneath. Among them was the bookbag, blanket, an AK-47 assault rifle, a handgun hidden inside a backpack, muddy clothes, as well as large quantities of drugs like methamphetamines and marijuana.
Detectives continued their inquiries in the hours that followed, but a breakthrough was not achieved until they received a 911 call at around 1 am on November 22, 2020, from a nearby home on the same trail. The caller reported a suspicious vehicle parked near the same house where the illegal stash was found, and when investigators rushed there, they found Justice sitting in the passenger side of the car. They arrested him for triple homicide and took him into custody, only for him to ultimately declare during an interrogation that he shot the three men because “he felt like his life was threatened.”
Justice Lusk is Serving Three Life Terms Behind Bars
Following Justice’s assertions, he was officially charged with the murder of Steven Finch, Eugene McClam, and Robert Caverly and held in a county jail without bond until he stood trial. During his 2024 court proceedings, he took the stand to reiterate his claim of self-defense; however, owing to his cell phone records and other evidence, the jury found him guilty. He was thus convicted of three counts each of felony murder, malice murder, aggravated assault, as well as possession of a firearm, for which he was sentenced to three consecutive life terms plus five years without parole. Therefore, today, at the age of 26, Justice remains incarcerated at the close-security Macon State Prison in Oglethorpe, Georgia, where he is expected to remain for the rest of his natural life.
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