Chief Investigator Bert Donaldson

Bert Donaldson

Chief Investigator Bert Donaldson was shot and killed from ambush after being lured into a hotel room while conducting an investigation into organized crime.

As he entered the hotel room with one of the subjects of the investigation, he was shot twice by a second suspect that was hiding in a closet with a shotgun. The two suspects then locked the hotel room door and fled. Chief Investigator Donaldson's body was found by hotel staff the following morning.

In 1927, a former police officer confessed to being involved in Chief Investigator Donaldson's killing, and nine other suspects were arrested and charged with murder. Only one suspect was convicted of Chief Investigator Donaldson's murder and sentenced to death. A year later he received a new trial and was acquitted. Charges against the others were dismissed.

Chief Investigator Donaldson had served in law enforcement for more than 4 years. He was survived by his wife and is buried in Casey's Hill Cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia.