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Former UGA football player arrested for murder of Oconee Co. RaceTrac clerk


Ahkil Nasir Crumpton

By Joe Johnson

An arrest has been made in the murder last year of an Oconee convenience store clerk.

On Wednesday morning, Oconee County Sheriff’s investigators along with members of the ATF, FBI, and Philadelphia Police Department arrested Ahkil Nasir Crumpton for the murder of Elijah James Wood, Oconee County Sheriff James Hale announced.

Crumpton is from Philadelphia, played football for the University of Georgia in 2017 and 2018, and was a student at UGA until 2021.

He allegedly fatally shot Wood on March 19, 2021, while the victim was working as the night clerk at the RaceTrac on Hwy 441 at Hog Mountain Road. The motive for the murder was believed to be robbery.

Wood was 23 years old and lived in Watkinsville.

Elijah Wood

“It’s a great relief to finally have the suspect in custody,” Hale said in a released statement. “For the past year, Oconee County investigators, along with our state, federal, and local law enforcement partners have tirelessly worked this difficult case. Although challenging, we were always confident we would find the person responsible for this senseless murder.”

A big break in the case came on Feb. 15, when the ATF notified the OCSO about ballistic testing of the gun used in Wood’s murder indicated that the same gun was used in a homicide in Philadelphia after the clerk was fatally shot.

The OCSO then sought to determine whether the shooter was the same in both cases. That investigation consisted of OCSO investigators, ATF, and FBI agents, Philadelphia detectives, and with the assistance of U.S. Attorney Offices for the Middle District of Georgia and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia investigators advised they suspected Akhil Crumpton was the shooter in their case and OCSO investigators subsequently established the link between Philadelphia and Athens.

That information led to a more in-depth investigation, which produced evidence to secure an arrest warrant for Crumpton for Wood’s murder.

The sheriff’s office noted that Wood’s murder case continued to be investigated and no further details were being released at this time.

“This case is not over,” Hale said in his statement. “The arrest is only the start of the process, which will not end until we successfully prosecute this case in a court of law.”

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5 Comments


ne_ga_kayak
Mar 17, 2022

Everybody is in love with the hero football players. Unfortunately, character isn't next to 40 times and verticals. (Plenty of players with high moral character; likely most) Kirby needs to make a statement and every player connected to this suspect needs to be deposed.

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preciousclarkwms
preciousclarkwms
Mar 17, 2022

My heart goes out to the Woods family.

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Jarvis T
Jarvis T
Mar 16, 2022

Now now! He has his rights and there are many, especially here in Athens, that feel that incarceration is not the answer. What he needs is a long sessions of therapy and psychoanalysis and then release them back in society to be, once again, a contributing model citizen to our local community

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concernedbulldawg
Mar 16, 2022

The NFL has a new interest in him. He needs to be put down like the rabid dog he is, and that's a major insult to dogs.

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Jarvis T
Jarvis T
Mar 16, 2022

With Gonzales at the helm of the DA’s office (which covers Oconee Co) then this mans ultimate release is assured …with an apology from her office, of course

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