Craig Thrift

 

This is one of those cases that have me on the fence. Deep down I do believe that the right person was charged, convicted and sentenced for murder, but I question whether I feel there was truly enough evidence to prove it. I suppose that I am part of the problem when it comes to the “new age” of crime. I have heard prosecutors time and time again talk about how everyone wants DNA and 100% proof in trials today and have given up on the “beyond a reasonable doubt” concept. Now, I do not believe that I am that bad. In fact, I cringe every time I hear someone say that someone was convicted on “nothing more than circumstantial evidence.” I have spoken about this before quite often here in my blogs. Reality is that nearly every case is based on circumstantial evidence and they always have been. I also do not believe that DNA is necessarily helpful, nor is it necessary, in every case.

This case involves several issues that separately they would not necessarily cause an issue, but all of them together leave me with questions. First, this is a case without a body. Secondly, by the time this came to a conclusion it had been more than twenty years. Thirdly, much of the evidence came from people who claim to have heard a confession from Craig Thrift. But, then there is there was the testimony of Craig Thrift's ex-wife, Rhonda, who contradicted it all. As we go through the story you will see that it appears that Rhonda had less reason or motivation than anyone to lie.

On May 11, 1991 Terry Rouse's mother received a phone call from the local police in the small town of Waycross Georgia. A car registered to her, a 1979 Ford Thunderbird, had been found at about two that afternoon sitting at the entrance of Okefenokee Swamp Park. His mother informed him that her son, Terry, drove that car. She knew Terry should have been at work at a local family owned construction company. The company was owned by Craig Thrift's father, Terry's uncle. Many of the Thrift and Rouse family men worked at the company including Terry and Craig. It was said that not only were Terry and Craig first cousins but they were also best friends.

After the phone call Terry's mother called two of her other sons, Jerry and Shannon and told them about the call. The two brothers went to where the car had been found. They were already suspicious as to what had happened but what they found made things even worse. They opened up the car door and inside they found the key in the ignition. They also saw Terry's cigarettes in the front seat and in the back was a bag that contained Terry's work clothes and his work shoes. When they turned the key in the car it would not start so the brothers attempted to jump start the vehicle. They then realized that the car was out of gas so they went to a local station and got some. Once they put gas in the car and got it moving they noticed that under the car was a large burn spot in the grass. It was apparent that the vehicle had been left running in neutral until the car ran out of gas and the battery died. Something was just not right about that.

An investigation showed that on the night of May 10^th Terry had gone to a party. Also at the party were Craig and his then wife, Rhonda. It was said that many in the family partied hard at night but every day showed up at work. Rhonda would tell investigators that she and Craig had returned home in the early morning hours and had gone straight to bed as they had both had a lot to drink. For his part Terry was seen sleeping in his car outside the house where the party had occurred around four that morning. He was gone sometime before seven.

Terry was known to pick up Craig for work every morning but Craig claimed that on the morning of the 11^th Terry had not come to his home. Two other men that worked with Terry and Craig had gone to a different party the night before and when they had gotten done they had drove to Craig's home and slept in their car at his home. These two men would take Craig to work the following morning. They would say that it was just before seven when Craig woke them saying Terry had not shown up. The three men were at work by seven that morning.

Over several years Craig remained a suspect in the disappearance and presumed murder of his cousin, Terry Rouse. Investigators had really first been put on this trail by Terry's mother. She had revealed that prior to Craig and Rhonda being married Terry had dated Rhonda and it was rumored that they had rekindled their romance. Investigators were able to confirm that this was true. Investigators began to believe that Craig had murdered Terry for this reason but they could not seem to prove it.

It was said that in 1997 Craig was interviewed again. He was asked to take a lie detector test but he declined to do so. Investigators say that Craig was quoted as saying “Without a body, you don't have anything and I'm not taking a test.” They found this comment odd. In the late 1990's Craig moved to Woodbine, about an hour away from Waycross. He and Rhonda had divorced, although I was not exactly able to determine when that had occurred. Family members say that Craig was abusive towards Rhonda and this was her motivation to leave the relationship.

By 2012 he was remarried to a woman named Robyn but that relationship was on shaky ground it seems. It is unclear exactly when all of the evidence came together that led investigators to charge Craig with the murder of his cousin, Terry Rouse. At the end of March 2012 Craig was arrested on charges of kidnapping and murder relating to Terry Rouse. A search warrant was issued and executed on Craig's home at the time of his arrest. Marijuana and firearms were found and he would also be charged with the illegal possession of both of these things. A grand jury indicted him on April 3^rd on the murder charges.

Craig would go on trial in April of 2014. Terry's body had never been found but obviously investigators and the prosecutor believed they had enough to obtain a conviction, even without a body. So, what exactly did they think they had? It appears that one of the biggest things they had was a woman who had been babysitting for Craig and Rhonda on the night of May 10, 1991. She would say that she spent the night at the Thrift home and had heard the couple arguing. She also claimed that she had been awakened sometime between five and six that morning and saw Terry Rouse's car outside the home. This disputed Craig's claim that Terry had not shown up. The only other people, other than children who were presumably sleeping, around would have been the two men that worked with Terry and Craig, and Craig's wife, Rhonda. The two men both stated they had not seen Terry, but they also admitted that they were sleeping at the time. As far as Rhonda goes it is unclear what she had said over the years leading to Craig's arrest but at his 2014 trial she testified that while they had gone to bed immediately after getting home she added that Craig had not gotten up until it was time for work.

But, then there was Craig's current wife, Robyn and “other witnesses” (this is the only description I have) would tell their stories. Robyn, who by the time of the trial had filed for divorce, testified that not only had Craig bragged that he had killed Terry and hid his body where it would never be found, she claimed he would often threaten her pointing out what he had done to Terry. The “other witnesses” also testified that Craig “bragged about shooting and beating Rouse and dumping his body in the swamp where it would never be found.” I have a few problems with all of these witnesses. First, I question just when Robyn came forward with her story. As I stated, by the time she testified she had filed for divorce from Craig, this can make her appear to be a scorned woman out to “get” Craig. The next problem I have is that I don't know who the “other witnesses” were or even how many of them there were. Then the question becomes when had they first heard these allegations and at what point they informed authorities.

While it was never officially stated it seems that the one person who could have blown the case wide open testified for the defense. Even if Rhonda had been a prosecution witness her testimony definitely helped Craig more than anything. But, there was more. At least one witness, a man named Aubrey Taylor testified that Terry had told him several times that he was going to leave town. Terry had received received a DUI charge and apparently it was not his first. It was said that he was due to go to court shortly after he disappeared. Taylor would also say that Terry allegedly stated that he owed people money that he could not repay. Once again I question when it was that Taylor reported this to authorities. Obviously if he is saying that he had a direct conversation with Terry it had to have occurred before his disappearance in 1991. While if this was true it does not mean that Terry did not eventually meet with foul play, it did look good for Craig when it came to May of 1991. But, I look at this “evidence” just as I look at the “evidence” of those who testified that Craig had allegedly admitted killing Terry.

Of all the “evidence” and stories that were told there are really only two that I believe could be credible. The problem is that they are in direct opposition of each other. First there is the babysitter who testified that she saw Terry's car on that morning. But, again there is the possibility that she did not tell this story until much later and could have had her days mixed up. Then there is Rhonda's story. More than twenty years after Terry's disappearance she was still saying that Craig was with her at the time in which it was alleged he had killed Terry, his cousin and her lover.

Despite my reservations after four hours of deliberations the jury returned with their verdict. They found Craig Thrift not guilty of malice murder, which was the most serious charge he faced but they did find him guilty of felony murder. Let me be clear in the fact that while I have discussed my issues based on my research I do often acknowledge that the jury heard and saw more things. They also saw the witnesses in person testifying and that can make a huge difference.

Based on the law in 1991, which were the guidelines that required Craig be sentenced, he received a sentence of life with the possibility of parole after seven years. This meant he was first eligible for parole in May of 2019. It was apparently denied but I cannot determine when his next hearing is scheduled to be.

Over the years there were several appeals made. The latest was in December of 2020 where the Georgia Supreme Court affirmed his conviction and sentence. There was one thing noted in that appeal that I found quite interesting. It appears that Craig, or at least his defense, may have argued that he was unaware that his wife and Terry were having an affair. This would have been an important thing considering that the prosecution theory was that the murder occurred because of the affair. At any rate the court stated “evidence at trial also showed that Thrift knew about the affair and even believed that his daughter was actually Rouse's biological daughter.” If this proves anything it is my statement earlier that there was evidence and things presented that my research did not necessarily reveal.