Police say a domestic dispute led to the murder of a 51-year-old Toccoa man.
Around 4:448 a.m. on Tuesday, March 5, officers with the Toccoa Police Department responded to a report of a physical altercation at a residence on Ruby Street.
A woman, identified as 33-year-old Ieshia Chantavia Thornton, was sitting in a vehicle in the driveway with Christopher Howell, 39, of Toccoa, when officers made contact.
Officers said they found Eric King unresponsive inside the home from an apparent gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to Toccoa Police Chief Jimmy Mize, Thornton and King were involved in a relationship. Howell was a roommate at the residence.
Police contacted the GBI to assist with the crime scene and interviews. Upon further investigation, detectives determined the incident was a domestic dispute between Thornton and King.
Officers arrested Thornton and charged her with malice murder. She was booked at the Stephens County Jail.
King’s body was released to the coroner to be transported to the GBI Crime Lab in Decatur for an autopsy. Mize says the case is still under investigation.
