Two women dead, two men jailed in Cleveland, Dalton

photo Donald Lee Abbott, 46, is charged with first-degree murder by Cleveland, Tenn., authorities in the slaying of Marla Sharp on July 27, 2015.
photo Sheriff's Investigators and GBI Agents collect evidence at the scene of a homicide, 1402 Classic Chase Dr. in Dalton, Ga.

Two women are dead in separate incidents - a 44-year-old in Cleveland, Tenn., and a 41-year-old in Dalton, Ga. - and two men are behind bars charged in their violent slayings.

In Cleveland, Marla Sharp was found by Cleveland police around 2:37 a.m. Monday shot in the upper torso at her home on Westview Drive, according to spokeswoman Evie West.

Sharp's son, who is in his 20s, was home at the time and ran next door to a neighbor's home to call 911. Sharp's son was not injured, West said.

Donald Lee Abbott, 46, was identified as the suspect in Sharp's slaying and he turned himself in to police Monday afternoon. He is now charged with first-degree murder, West said.

In Dalton, Myrna Rosales was brought unconscious to Hamilton Medical Center around 1:15 a.m. Saturday, according to Whitfield County Sheriff's Office spokesman Rick Swiney.

The man who delivered Rosales to the hospital told hospital staff that Rosales had been visiting with him and had left his residence. The man said he found her lying at the foot of his front porch steps when he started to leave later, according to Swiney.

The man left the hospital at some point afterward.

Meanwhile, medical officials treating Rosales discovered her injuries were not consistent with a fall down stairs. Officials at the hospital notified the sheriff's office and an investigation was launched, Swiney said.

David Emmanuel Rivera Zavala, 28, of Classic Chase Drive in Dalton, was identified by investigators as the man who brought Rosales to the emergency room.

Swiney said investigators determined Rosales and Zavala had an argument at Zavala's home shortly before she was brought to the hospital, but authorities couldn't locate Zavala and believed he had fled from the area.

Zavala had some relatives living in the Aurora, Ill., area and authorities in that state were notified to be on the lookout for Rosales' suspected assailant, Swiney said.

Zavala was taken into custody the same day in Aurora by Illinois authorities on Whitfield County's charge of aggravated battery, according to Swiney. On Sunday, sheriff's office crime scene technician and a GBI special agent traveled to Aurora to process the suspect vehicle and interview Zavala.

Rosales' body has been turned over to the GBI crime lab for an autopsy, authorities said.

In the Cleveland slaying, Abbott has refused to give a statement to police and investigators are still looking for a motive, West said. Sharp and Abbott were boyfriend and girlfriend, she said.

West said Cleveland police had not answered a call at the Westview Drive home since 2005, but some recent documents indicate there may have been some problems lately.

"Somebody on June 1 delivered a 'victim notification' to her, which means they have probably been in a domestic prior [to the slaying], but we haven't been in the house since 2005, so it must have happened somewhere else," West said.

Abbott has a criminal history stemming from a chase and crash back in May involving Meigs County authorities and the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

On May 13, the Times Free Press reported that Abbott was being pursued by Meigs County deputies, state troopers and Bradley County authorities. Abbott led officers on a chase at speeds up to 105 mph, according to Tennessee Highway Patrol officials.

Abbott lost control of his car on U.S. Highway 11, crashed and attempted to flee on foot before he was taken into custody.

In that incident, Abbott was charged with a number of crimes, including second-offense DUI, felony reckless endangerment, aggravated assault, driving on a revoked license and leaving the scene of an accident, officials said. Bradley County also had a warrant out for Abbott at the time for robbery and Georgia had issued a warrant for violation of probation.

Investigations in the Tennessee and Georgia cases are continuing.

Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or twitter.com/BenBenton or www.facebook.com/ben.benton1 or 423-757-6569.

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