Motive for Athens man’s murder in Jackson County revealed in court filing

Murder victim Antwone Lay

By Joe Johnson

Athens resident Antwone Lay was shot to death last summer in a Jackson County church parking lot summer when being robbed of drugs, according to court records.

The motive for the murder is alleged in a 16-count indictment that charges William Austin with Lay’s death.

In addition to murder and aggravated assault, Austin is accused of armed robbery for allegedly stealing Percocet opioid pills and marijuana from the victim, according to the indictment on file in Jackson County Superior Court.

The crime occurred last July in the parking lot of Antioch United Church In Nicholson.

William Douglas Austin

Austin, a 32-year-old resident of Jefferson, was charged not only with crimes related to Lay’s death, but is also accused in the indictment with multiple counts of sexual exploitation of children because of pornographic images in his phone at the time of his arrest.

Austin has pleaded not guilty to all charges and he is being held without bail at the Jackson County Jail.