COVINGTON, Ga. – The Covington man accused in a Wednesday night triple shooting that left his wife and step-daughter dead will remain in jail for now after a hearing on his murder charges Friday morning at the Newton County Jail.

Cedric Cook, 37, is accused of gunning down his wife, 41-year-old Tijuana Cook and her daughter, 23-year-old Michelle Olivia Dickerson inside a house at 3124 Usher St. According to a Covington Police Department press release, the murders were the result of an “incident that was domestic-related that escalated into shots being fired.”

Dickerson’s boyfriend, Theodore Betton was wounded in the incident and life-flighted to Grady Memorial Hospital.

At Friday’s hearing, Newton County Magistrate Judge Melanie Bell explained Cook’s rights to him and advised him a bond on his murder charge will have to be set in Superior Court.

Cook is no stranger to law enforcement in Newton County. According to the sheriff’s office website, prior to Wednesday’s shooting he had been booked into the county jail 12 times since 1998. 

He has also served prison time at the state level, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections website.