By Joe Johnson
A former UGA football player facing murder charges has been sentenced to decades in prison on other charges related to the 2021 shooting death of 23-year-old Elijah Wood.
Akhil Crumpton, 26, was indicted in the murder of Wood, among other charges, in 2023.
"Ahkil Crumpton’s violent crime ended Elijah Wood’s young life and has been the cause of immeasurable pain to many people in the Oconee County community and beyond,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Local, state, and federal agencies have worked tirelessly to seek justice on behalf of Elijah. Our hope is the conclusion of the federal case offers some peace for all those who have been affected by this tragedy.”
Wood was working as a clerk at a RaceTrac station in Watkinsville, filling in for a sick coworker in the early morning hours of March 19th, 2021. At around 1:15 A.M., surveillance footage shows Crumpton shoot Wood in the chest.
The shooter ran from the store without taking any merchandise or money. A former teammate of Crumpton's testified that Crumpton came to his apartment that morning, visibly upset, holding a pistol. "I didn't mean to do it," the teammate quoted him as saying. "I just wanted the money. I just shot him at the store. At the store!"
The teammate went on to say that Crumpton told him the gun went off when he lifted it up. Crumpton then left Georgia to return to his hometown of Philiadelphia.
Four months later, Crumpton was seen leaving the South Street Diner shortly after 3:00 on the morning of July 17th. Court documents state that he went and got a pistol out of a vehicle when he was approached by another man, identified as Anthony Jones, who pointed a pistol at Crumpton and grabbed the car keys out of his hand.Jones was said to have grabbed the gun out of Crumpton's right pocket and turned to run away when Crumpton reportedly pulled another pistol from his waistband and fired 13 shots, hitting and killing Jones.
Crumpton was arrested in Philadelphia in March 2022 after reportedly jumping out of his bedroom window while trying to escape. In his bedroom, investigators reportedly found a pistol that ballistics testing matched to the deaths of both Wood and Jones, clothing worn by Crumpton during both shootings, and a loaded AR-15.
Crumpton was convicted on federal charges of interference with commerce by attempted robbery and making false statements during the purchase of a firearm, totaling in 360 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.
I wonder if crumpton "tip toes through the tulips" in prison, like we saw him do on that dreadful day in the video?
The Athletic Department, especially the football squad needs to clean house. The Golden Calf of National Championships is blinding us all. We're imagining no young standout is too bad an apple to be a Bulldog. Well,,,, sometimes they are,
Juwan Taylor
Last week, the government presented a number of witnesses, including Crumpton’s former roommate, Juwan Taylor, who testified that he knew Crumpton was involved in the crime, but never revealed that fact until after he was confronted by law enforcement in March 2022.
The former roommate didnt know nuthin until Crumpton got caught. POS.