The shooting death in Rockmart in February 2007 of Bobby Mallin, a 2002 honors graduate of Northwest Whitfield High School, shattered his family, family members say.

The emotional strain played a part in his sister Kelly Mallin’s separation from her husband, she said. Her 18-year-old daughter began having panic attacks and decided to change schools.

His mother Nancy moved to Pennsylvania to be with his sister shortly after the shooting to help deal with the loss.

Bobby’s father, who has Alzheimer’s, asks his daughter, “Is my son alive?”

“We tell him, ‘No, Daddy,” Kelly Mallin said. “It just breaks your heart.”

Michael Rhodes of Rockmart was indicted by a Polk County, Ga., grand jury last week on two counts of felony murder, two counts of murder and two counts of aggravated assault. Rhodes is accused of shooting Mallin, 22, and Jeanette Rhodes, 29, Rhodes’ estranged wife, to death at a home in Rockmart on Feb. 16, 2007. Rhodes’ arraignment is scheduled for April 29 in Polk County Superior Court, according to Don Wilson, district attorney for the Tallapoosa Judicial Circuit.

The youngest of four children and the only male, her brother showed great promise, Kelly Mallin said. A 2006 honors graduate of Berry College, his degree was in communications and he was an avid photographer.

“Bobby was such a good kid, a good student, and in a moment, he’s gone for no reason,” Mallin said. “This has totally turned our lives upside down,”

Bobby visited Kelly in Pennsylvania just a few days before his death, she said.

She and Bobby’s mother plan to attend the trial in Polk County. No trial date has been set, but Kelly Mallin said she understands there could be some delays.

“I was very excited that things have started to move,” she said. “It’s nice to know that he (Rhodes) has been formally charged.”