Betram Gerome Beck, 44, formerly of 902 Straight Street #2, Dalton, entered guilty pleas Friday to attempted murder, two counts of aggravated assault, aggravated stalking and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Scott Minter to serve 20 years in prison without the possibility of parole, followed by 30 years on probation.
The state was represented by Assistant District Attorney Susan Beck (no relation). Beck was represented by local attorney Sam Sanders.
Beck was facing trial on two separate indictments, both involving allegations of domestic violence. The first incident occurred on Feb. 3, 2017. Officials said Beck strangled his wife, Heather Griffin, on two different occasions and also struck her in the face causing visible injuries. He also strangled their dog. The second incident occurred on Dec. 8, 2017 while Beck was out on bond on the first incident. He returned to the victim’s home in violation of bond conditions, kicked open the door and entered the residence while pointing a handgun at her. He told her he was “ready to go” and shot her twice, once in the shoulder and once in the abdomen. A friend of the victim, Patricia Jones, was present and Beck struck her in the head with the gun as she was attempting to protect Ms. Griffin, officials said.
Beck has a history of felony drug convictions and other charges including fleeing from law enforcement, felony obstruction of a law enforcement officer, and misdemeanor assaults, as well as parole and probation violations between 1990 and 2010. He has served time in prison on five prior occasions. Because of the three prior felony convictions, Beck will not be eligible for parole during the 20-year prison portion of his sentence.