Beloved Powder Springs couple shot to death, son charged: 'It is just very shocking'

POWDER SPRINGS, Ga. - A neighbor says the Powder Springs couple found shot to death in their home over the weekend were beloved members of their community, making the violence even harder for residents to grasp.

Martin Duberry arrested

What we know:

Powder Springs police say 31-year-old Martin Duberry is accused of killing his mother, 72-year-old Monica Brookins, and his stepfather, 73-year-old John Wells, inside their Yoshino Terrace home Saturday afternoon. 

Duberry was arrested the same day and remains in the Cobb County Jail on multiple charges, including two counts of murder, several counts of aggravated battery involving victims 65 or older, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

Monica Brookins, John Wells remembered as kind, welcoming

What they're saying:

Kay Hughes, who lives across the street, said she still cannot understand why anyone would harm the pair who had welcomed Duberry into their home.

"When I heard what happened was I thought it was so useless. Why would somebody shoot two people that when you were they was letting you live in their house," Hughes said. "They just don't have a heart, I guess."

Hughes described Brookins and Wells as warm, friendly neighbors who moved to the community from California several years ago.

"They was always super nice, always waving to you, always saying hi to you," Hughes said. "They stopped and talked and they was just good people. I mean, they was just good neighbors."

Brookins served on the neighborhood’s HOA board, and Hughes said the couple quickly became known and liked throughout the subdivision. She often talked with Brookins about her grandsons and remembers the couple as inseparable.

"When I first met her, the first thing we was talking about was husbands," Hughes said. "She told me she said, We met in college and she said I let him go and she said, But I'll never let him go again."

Hughes said that memory replayed in her mind after learning the couple had been shot together.

Yoshino Terrace neighborhood shaken

Local perspective:

Hughes said residents are stunned by the violence, describing the area as quiet and close-knit.

"It is just very shocking," she said. "We have never had anything like this happen in our neighborhood. Never."

She said the loss feels personal, noting Brookins was both a neighbor and a friend.

"I’m heartbroken because she was a good neighbor, she was a friend," Hughes said. "When I look over there and see his car, the black car, and her car sitting there, knowing that they're no longer with us is very disturbing."

Hughes said she has been thinking about the couple’s daughter and the grief she must be facing.

"I'd like to send my condolences because I do know this has to be devastating," she said. "I can only imagine what they're going through."

Powder Springs Police investigating

What we don't know:

Investigators have not said what may have led up to the shooting inside the Yoshino Terrace home. 

Authorities have not released details about any prior disturbances, a possible motive, or what prompted the violence against the couple.

What's next:

Duberry lived at the home and was taken into custody at the residence, according to Cobb County booking records.

Duberry is being held without bond. The case remains under investigation.

His next court appearance has not yet been scheduled.

Powder SpringsNewsCrime and Public Safety