EAST POINT, Ga., July 31, 2007

Cops: Boss Kills Workers Asking For Raises

Georgia Car Dealer Admits To Shooting His Only 2 Employees, Police Say

  •  (AP/CBS)

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(AP)  The owner of a car dealership has been accused of killing two employees because they kept asking for pay raises.

Rolandas Milinavicius has been charged with two counts of murder in the shooting deaths of Inga Contreras, 25, and Martynas Simokaitis, 28.

All three are from the eastern European nation of Lithuania but had been living in Atlanta, authorities said.

Milinavicius, who was having financial problems, told police he shot the two Thursday after they kept asking for more pay, said police in East Point, which is just outside Atlanta.

"He told us that he was under a lot of stress," East Point police Capt. Russell Popham said. "Unfortunately, he decided to take his anger out with violence."

Milinavicius, who had been living in Alpharetta, started RM Auto International two years ago, hoping to meet the demand for American cars in Lithuania. He began shipping cars and later hired the two victims as his only employees.

Milinavicius, 38, turned himself in two days after the shootings and confessed to the killings, Popham said.

"As I understand, the employees were not really happy about the pay, and they had questioned him about it over the course of time," Popham said. "That morning he said he just snapped."

Contreras and Simokaitis were cremated and an informal memorial service was held at Simokaitis' cousin's apartment over the weekend. The remains were to be flown to Lithuania on Tuesday.

"It doesn't make any sense," the cousin, Jaunius Simokaitis, of Fayetteville, said Monday. "If he was having money problems, these two would have been the ones to help him get out of debt. They would have helped him make that money."

© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Add a Comment See all 37 Comments
by theonly50 August 1, 2007 1:51 PM EDT
number one. they were all legally here.
number two. american cars are very popular in lithuania and eastern europe.
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by brianbwb-2009 August 1, 2007 10:57 AM EDT
Ah, the smell of gunpowder in the morning. How I love "trickle down heaven", I just lowered my labor cost, without arbitration, and if I say they were Muslims, maybe I'll be a hero on *********...
Reply to this comment
by randalds August 1, 2007 5:12 AM EDT
"D*mnit Boss, I'll just die if I don't get that raise"......"OH SHI"..BLAM..BLAM..BLAM....
Posted by veteran71 at 12:42 AM : Aug 01, 2007

Sure would make Blonde Bumsted a widow fast if all bosses were like this. Dagwood seems to ask for a raise every other week.
Reply to this comment
by randalds August 1, 2007 3:34 AM EDT
I thought only Cheney did this?
Reply to this comment
by gmond August 1, 2007 3:09 AM EDT
One more - People are just dying to work there.
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by incog-nito August 1, 2007 1:32 AM EDT
So does this mean that they won't be getting a raise?
Reply to this comment
by agnim August 1, 2007 12:49 AM EDT
"We are taking the dregs of the entire world in....
Posted by toldyouso21 at 03:57 PM : Jul 31, 2007"

You Native American and not 'dregs', right?
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by jonesforch July 31, 2007 10:30 PM EDT
once again a story CBS was in such big hurry to print. Did not get all the story or facts.
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by jonesforch July 31, 2007 10:30 PM EDT
once again a story CBS was in such big hurry to print. Did not get all the story or facts.
Reply to this comment
by timincal July 31, 2007 8:03 PM EDT
I wonder if this dipstick ever thought that the reason there wasn't a big demand for American autos in his home country was because you can't easily get parts and nobody knows how to repair them? Would have been better off going home and opening a dealership there.
Reply to this comment
by rudy654-2009 July 31, 2007 8:02 PM EDT
While in custody the owner told police he has changed his mind, and has now decided to give the employees the raise they so richly deserved.
Posted by incog-nito at 04:47 PM : Jul 31, 2007

His unemployment insurance premiums must have been too high.
Posted by gmond at 04:34 PM : Jul 31, 2007

I wonder if the reason they didn't go find another job was because they weren't integrated enough to work anyplace but a specifically Lithuanian shop? English problems, cultural issues, etc.?
Posted by SusanHelit at 01:55 PM : Jul 31, 2007

How about the guy committed murder and now should suffer the consequences, and his bloody excuse won't work? Classic idea, eh? Go find another job? Puleeeezee!!!!! What's wrong with all of you that this is some kind of joke, yet on another article you are having fits about dog fights? Good grief!!
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by incog-nito July 31, 2007 7:47 PM EDT
While in custody the owner told police he has changed his mind, and has now decided to give the employees the raise they so richly deserved.
Reply to this comment
by gmond July 31, 2007 7:34 PM EDT
His unemployment insurance premiums must have been too high.
Reply to this comment
by toldyouso21 July 31, 2007 6:57 PM EDT
Russian/Soviet mafia? Let's guess....none were actually legally in this country right? We are taking the dregs of the entire world in....talk about drastic--and here we were, worrying about lay offs, outsourcing and insourcing. It could be worse...corporations could just kill troublesome employees.
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by feedback3-2009 July 31, 2007 4:58 PM EDT
I was also wondering if this was more about the ontology of the Lithuanian cultural milieu, or just some crazy idiot with a gun.
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by susanhelit July 31, 2007 4:55 PM EDT
I wonder if the reason they didn't go find another job was because they weren't integrated enough to work anyplace but a specifically Lithuanian shop? English problems, cultural issues, etc.?
Reply to this comment
by sugarmice-2009 July 31, 2007 4:49 PM EDT
on a "serious note" if he was having financial problems - you would think the employees would know being only 3 of them - owner and 2 employees. Did he get caught by the state for not paying/carrying workers comp? What about payroll taxes - perhaps he never paid them and the irs and state were after him and that will make anyone snap because if you ever had to deal with a federal or state employee about a tax return it's a nightmare. More so when you call and get someone who barely speaks english.. welcome to california... anyways - money always seems to bring the "bad" out in people..
well, what he did was totally wrong and he will have to PAY now more than ever - wouldn't be surprised if the family sue for wrongful death - maybe they can make the dealership work...
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by hwy71so July 31, 2007 4:10 PM EDT
Wonder if that SOP in Lithuania... ??
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by rushlimpdrug July 31, 2007 4:03 PM EDT
Ok, everybody back to work.
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by olebd July 31, 2007 3:48 PM EDT
This is certainly a new twist to being laid off.
I bet business owners across this country would like to make him Man of the Year!
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