Too Late to Say Goodbye: A True Story of Murder and Betrayal (52 page)

54
Gwinnett County Superior Court Judge Michael C. Clark and attorney Greg Lundy look over motions in the murder charges against Bart Corbin. They expected almost anything—except what happened on September 15.

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Bart Corbin stands at the defense table in Judge Michael C. Clark’s Gwinnett County courtroom between his two defense attorneys: Bruce Harvey (left) and David Wolf. They were about to shock the gallery behind them.

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Left to right: Max Barber (out of focus), Rajel Caldwell, and Heather Tierney fight tears as they sit in Judge Michael C. Clark’s Gwinnett County courtroom. They had expected to attend Bart Corbin’s trial in the murder of Jenn Corbin, their daughter and sister, for more than a month. And then, everything changed.

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Left to right: Rajel Caldwell, Heather Tierney, and Max Barber (with Doug Tierney in right rear) stride from the Gwinnett County Justice Center on September 15, 2006.

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Dolly’s spirit, and the wonderful way she embraced life, lives on. The scholarship in her name has helped dozens of students become dentists. Members of her dental class lobbied the Medical College of Georgia to award her a degree posthumously. In June 2007, Dolly will become Dr. Dolly.

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Jenn Corbin, on a Caribbean cruise almost exactly one year before her murder, died on the verge of the new life she longed for. She will always be remembered smiling.

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Barbara Hearn in October 2006. She had the “GUILTY!” headlines laminated and placed them on Dolly’s grave. Strangers covered the grave with red roses, both real and ceramic. Dolly rests near her grandparents’ graves. And in the Hearns’ yard nearby, the Confederate roses burst into bloom.

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Dorothy Carlisle Hearn’s grave. She waited sixteen years, three months, and nine days for justice.

^*
The names of some individuals have been changed. Such names are indicated by an asterisk (
^*
) the first time they appear.

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

CAST OF CHARACTERS

PREFACE

PART ONE
Jennifer Barber Corbin

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

PART TWO
Barton Thomas Corbin

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

PART THREE
Dorothy Carlisle Hearn

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

PART FOUR
The Investigation

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY-
O
NE

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY-
T
WO

PART FIVE The Investigation

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY-
T
HREE

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY-
F
OUR

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY-
F
IVE

P
ART
S
IX
The Investigation

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY-
S
IX

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY-
S
EVEN

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY-
E
IGHT

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY-
N
INE

C
HAPTER
T
HIRTY

C
HAPTER
T
HIRTY-
O
NE

C
HAPTER
T
HIRTY-
T
WO

C
HAPTER
T
HIRTY-
T
HREE

C
HAPTER
T
HIRTY-
F
OUR

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

C
HAPTER
T
HIRTY-
S
IX

A
FTERWORD

A
BOUT THE
A
UTHOR

P
HOTOGRAPHIC
I
NSERT