The GBI has arrested and charged a man with murder after an Athens man was found dead near a church in Jackson County on Friday, July 12.
William Austin, 31, of Jefferson, was booked into the Jackson County Jail.
The body of 29-year-old Antowne Shalmar Lay was found near the intersection of Antioch Church Road and Gus Barnett Road in Nicholson.
The GBI says it was requested by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office to investigate Lay’s death. Agents charged Austin with felony murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault, and tampering with evidence in connection to the homicide.
Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office at 706-367-8718 or the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Athens at 706-552-2309.
Anonymous tips may also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), through the GBI’s online tipline, or See Something, Send Something mobile app.
The GBI says its investigation is ongoing. When it is complete, agents will turn over the case file to the Piedmont Judicial Circuit for prosecution.
