DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A teenager accused of luring a locksmith to his death has been released from jail and the charges against him have been dropped. Peter McGrath, 36, died in June of 2022 when DeKalb police found him in his burnt out locksmith van on Mecklinburg Place in Decatur near Towers High School.
His wife, Amber McGrath, stated that a woman had called her husband to Wood Bend Drive in Decatur because she’d locked her keys in her car. When he arrived, police believe robbers attacked him, shot and killed him and drove around in his work van with his body inside before they ditched it on Mecklinburg Place and set it on fire.
Police arrested the teenager they believed was involved in the deadly robbery in February 2023. Dekalb County jail records show deputies released him Dec. 26. The Dekalb County District Attorney’s Office said no additional suspects have been charged at this time.
Spokesperson Lisa Myers wrote, “While the current charges against the defendant were Nolle Prossed, the investigation into Peter McGrath’s murder is still open and pending in our office. As such, we are unable to offer additional details regarding the case at this juncture.”
Trial attorney Chuck Boring spoke to about the reasons this can happen. “It could be from exoneration: they found evidence that the defendant didn’t do it, or they couldn’t prove the defendant did it without a reasonable doubt,” said Boring. He said also, “There could have been a development in the investigation here; they learned new evidence. If so, if they go to trial without putting their best foot forward, there are no do-overs.”
McGrath’s wife said she is giving up on the justice side of her case. She is turning her attention toward changing laws and is pushing for legislators to create a bill that makes it a felony to lure service providers to a location for nefarious reasons.