MAN TAKES LIVES OF WIFE, PREGNANT GIRLFRIEND, AND HIMSELF IN DEVASTATING TRIPLE MURDER-SUICIDE

37-year-old Kevin Andrew Akins fatally shot his wife, then drove across town to kill his pregnant girlfriend before turning the gun on himself.

By FamilyToday Contributors

A quiet Georgia town is reeling from an unthinkable tragedy that has left four lives lost—two women, one of them pregnant, and a man—after what authorities have deemed a murder-suicide fueled by betrayal, heartbreak, and unimaginable violence.

The Dalton Police Department confirmed the disturbing chain of events began on May 21 when 35-year-old Rebeca Nicole Akins, known to family and friends as Nicole, was killed in her home by her husband of two decades, 37-year-old Kevin Andrew Akins. The tragedy unraveled further when Kevin reportedly drove to another apartment just four miles away and fatally shot his pregnant girlfriend, 33-year-old Cindel Mae Rhoden, before turning the gun on himself.

The horror first came to light on May 23 after Nicole failed to show up for work for several days. Concerned coworkers requested that authorities conduct a welfare check. When officers arrived at her apartment and were let in by management, they found Nicole’s lifeless body with a gunshot wound to the head.

Nicole’s family described their grief in a GoFundMe set up by her sisters. “Nicole was tragically taken away from us by the man she had loved for over half of her life,” wrote Emily Lunden. “This has broken all of us beyond words.” The family is now raising funds for a memorial that honors Nicole’s legacy of kindness and unwavering love.

Surveillance footage led investigators to Kevin’s next destination: the home of Cindel Rhoden. Cindel, who had recently discovered she was five months pregnant with a baby boy, was also the mother of two young daughters. When her stepfather went to check on her after days of silence, he entered the apartment and was met with a second devastating scene—both Cindel and Kevin were found dead from apparent gunshot wounds.

Cindel’s family, equally shattered, has also launched a fundraiser for her funeral and the future care of her daughters. “Cindel was taken from us in a senseless act of violence,” reads the GoFundMe page. “She was in a relationship with a man who was married to his estranged wife and fell victim to manipulation.”

Her aunt, Lynn Barker, told local ABC affiliate WJCL that Cindel had a trusting heart. “She took people at their word. That was her mistake. But it doesn’t mean she deserved or asked or put herself in the position for this to happen.”

Authorities have not released a motive, but the impact is clear. Four lives—Nicole, Cindel, her unborn son, and Kevin—were lost in a single day. Now, two young girls are left motherless, and two families are left with questions that may never be answered.

This devastating story is a reminder of how love can be twisted by deceit and violence—and how the innocent often pay the highest price. As both families mourn, their focus turns to healing, honoring their loved ones, and providing a future for the children left behind.