Nephew of 80-year-old murder victim Ophr Thompson speaks out

The nephew of an 80-year-old man found murdered inside of his home told Georgia Newsday he is heartbroken about the loss of the man he viewed as a father figure.

"The more I talk about it, I break down more and more.  It's really hard," Ray Patterson said about his uncle, who raised Patterson since he was five weeks old.

Authorities said they are still interviewing people in connection with the death of  Ophr Thompson, who was bound, beaten and shot in his west Georgia home Saturday night for one motive: robbery.

The victim, who was found lying on the floor at his Buchanan home, died of blunt force trauma to the left side of his head, a Haralson County Sheriff's Office news release said.

Ronnie Duane Lewis, of Bremen, and Mickey Ray Mauler, of Tallapoosa, were taken into custody for their alleged roles in the crime, the release said.

Lewis is facing several charges, including murder, armed robbery, false imprisonment and aggravated battery on an elderly.  Mauler, his alleged accomplice in the killing, is being charged with theft by receiving and being party to a crime, officials said.

Ronnie Lewis

Authorities leaed about Thompson's death after his brother-in-law in Florida asked them to check on the senior, following multiple failed attempts to reach him by telephone.  Investigators arrived to Thompson’s home at 10 p.m. Saturday to find all of the lights off and glass inside of the residence, officials said.  

Investigators determined that robbery was the motive in the killing after noticing several firearms and a large sum of cash were taken from inside a bedroom safe.  A horse tack and two saddles also were stolen from the property, officials said.

Mickey Mulder

Upon speaking to Thompson’s brother-in-law, investigators leaed that Lewis, one of the suspects in the case, had previously lived with the victim. 

”Ronnie Lewis was identified as a person of interest based on an item of clothing discovered at the scene of the crime, said Mixon.  ”Investigators believe that after tying Mr. Thompson with duct tape, Ronnie Lewis beat his elderly victim to force Ophr Thompson to reveal the combination to his safe.

Investigators’ findings later led them to arrest Mulder on suspicion of being an accomplice to a crime.

The investigation is still under way, authorities said.