Source: 13 WMAZ – Macon, Georgia
Police hope tips from you will heat up this cold case again. Steve Rose and Frederick Kea worked at the McDonald’s that stood at Riverside Drive and Northside Drive in Bibb County. (A different restaurant sits there today.)
The two men died during an apparent attempt to steal a deposit – but workers had already made the deposit earlier that night. Even though the robber didn’t get the money, someone went out of their way to make sure there were no witnesses.
Carrol Rose, Steve’s wife, says she’ll never forget January 14, 1989 – the day the murders happened.
“It was difficult,” she said. “It completely changed our lives… My son grew up fearful, because he grew up without a male figure or anyone to do anything with. My daughter – the first thing she said when she found out her daddy was dead was, ‘Who’s going to give me away when I get married?'”
Macon Police Lieutenant Jimmy Barbee says it was a robbery attempt that made no sense.
“If you’re going to rob somebody, that’s one thing,” he said, “but to lay in ambush and basically assassinate somebody and get nothing? That’s sick!”
The Macon Police Department and Sheriff’s Office still don’t know who’s responsible for the murders. Now, they’re turning to the public.
“Somebody out there knows something, and it’s real important we get the community involved,” he said. “Not only in this one, but in any homicide we have.”
Carrol says, 14 years later, she continues to want justice.
“I want the person found and put away at least, because I feel like they have done this again, and they’re going to keep on doing this, and they need to be stopped. They have no conscience.”
Lieutenant Barbee says personal items and valuables were taken from both victims and at least one misfired 22 caliber round was found in the bushes on the property line.
Added: December 2, 2005
Source: Family Testimonial
Received via email on December 1, 2005
To Whom It May Concern:
My name is Melissa Rose and I’m 23 years old. I just stumbled upon your website and I feel that I have to share my story with you.
Nearly 17 years ago my father, Steve Rose, was the manager of a McDonald’s restaurant in Macon, GA. Late on the night of January 14, 1989, my father and Rick Kea, the other manager of the store, were closing. McDonald’s had been making night deposits, which was against corporate policy, according to the McDonald’s Corporate Handbook. Two weeks prior, there was a robbery at that very store. My father had only been employed at this particular McDonald’s store for a week, but heard about this robbery and was concerned about the night deposits. He decided to make the deposit earlier in the day. Upon closing, Steve and Rick were met at gunpoint by burglars in the parking lot. Rick Kea was shot in the chest and died immediately. My father ran across the street, hoping to escape. He was shot first in the arm, then in the leg, and finally, the shot that killed him, hit him point blank in the temple. The killers only got my father’s and Rick’s wallets. When Steve ran across the street, he crossed the jurisdiction line between Bibb County and the Macon police, so there was a dispute over who was responsible for the case. The police found Rick dead at 2:30 a.m. They did not find my father until 5:30 a.m. and McDonald’s opened the store less than an hour after the discovery of my father for the morning breakfast rush. The police never found the killers and this case has been nicknamed “the McDonald’s Murders” throughout the middle Georgia region. Three months after the murders, corporate McDonald’s sent one sentence condolence letters to the Keas and my family. To this day, that is the only thing we ever received. My mother asked McDonald’s to pay for our health insurance (she stopped working to stay home with my brother and I; we were very young and traumatized), but they refused. When I graduated from high school, my mother sent two certified letters to McDonald’s to see if there were any scholarships to which I could apply for college. They never responded.
After almost 17 years, I am relieved to finally share my story with others who have an interest. I have not eaten at a McDonald’s since my father’s murder and have encouraged others to do the same. Their lack of sensitivity to human life has truly appalled me. Additionally, by sharing this story, I hope the crimes can finally be solved and allow my family and the Keas to have closure. I have several newspaper clippings that I can fax to you, if necessary. I want people to know our story. Please contact me at this address with any updates, questions, or concerns. Thank you for taking the time to listen.
Added: December 2, 2005