Bio

Tommy Lee Waldrip was born in 1946. Information about his early life is limited, but it is known that he grew up in Georgia. His family background and the specific details of his childhood are not widely documented. Tommy Lee Waldrip would later become involved in criminal activities that would lead to severe legal consequences.

As he grew older, Waldrip had a troubled life marked by various criminal activities. He had prior arrests and was convicted of several offenses before the serious crimes for which he would become infamous. His past included incidents of theft and other illegal actions. Despite these troubles, little is publicly known about his life outside of these legal issues.

He became known for the brutal murder of Keith Lloyd Evans, which occurred in 1991. At the time, Evans was an eyewitness to a robbery committed by Waldrip's son. The details of Waldrip's family life and relationships are not deeply explored in the available information. His actions and the events surrounding the crimes he was involved in mainly overshadowed his early life.

Murder Story

On April 13, 1991, Tommy Lee Waldrip and his accomplices targeted Keith Lloyd Evans, a 23-year-old clerk who witnessed a robbery committed by Waldrip's son, John Mark Waldrip. Evans was supposed to testify at John Mark's retrial for armed robbery, which made him a target in the eyes of Waldrip and his co-conspirators.

That evening, they encountered Evans at a highway crossing in Dawson County, Georgia. After running Evans' truck off the road, they fired a shotgun at him, hitting him in the face and neck with birdshot. Despite the injuries, Evans was still alive, so they forced him into his own truck and drove him to a more secluded area. There, they brutally beat him with a blackjack until he died.

After killing Evans, Waldrip and his accomplices concealed the body in a shallow grave in Gilmer County. They then set Evans' vehicle on fire to destroy evidence. The fire was reported around 12:30 a.m. the following day.

When authorities began to investigate, they found evidence linking Waldrip to the crime, including an insurance card for his wife's vehicle, found near the burned truck. On April 15, Waldrip was arrested and eventually confessed to shooting and beating Evans before leading police to the body and the weapon used in the attack. Initially, he gave conflicting statements about his involvement, claiming at one point that he was merely a bystander. Ultimately, he was convicted of murder and several other charges.

On November 4, 1994, Waldrip was sentenced to death for his role in the murder of Keith Evans. His accomplices, John Mark Waldrip and Howard Livingston, were sentenced to life in prison.