A teenager has been charged with the murder of Brandon Smith, the Georgia high school football player who was found shot to death a day before his team was scheduled to play in its first state championship in 25 years.
A’darius Jashawn Williams, 19, was arrested and charged Tuesday in the slaying of a 17-year-old athlete whose body was found in a wooded area near a local police station, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.
“During the investigation, it was determined that Williams shot and killed Smith following an argument,” the bureau said.
It does not elaborate on the argument or any connection between the pair.
Smith was last seen on December 7 and was reported missing two days later, when he failed to return home.
His body was found behind a home on Third Avenue in Manchester on Dec. 10 — the day before his team played in the Georgia 1-A State Football Tournament.
Brandon Smith, 17, a Georgia high school football player, was found shot to death. Family Distribution
Smith’s grandmother, who has raised the teenager since she was a baby, previously said she had tried to contact him on her cell phone but was unable to reach him.
She told The Post she felt something was bothering her grandson, but she never told him what it was.
A’darius Jashawn Williams, 19, is charged with murder. Meriwether County Jail
“The way he looked at me it was like he wanted to tell me something he couldn’t,” she said in a phone interview last month in her last moments with him before he slipped out of the house.
“I will not rest until they catch the killer who killed my grandson,” Maxine Smith said after Manchester High School football coach Stephen Holmes informed the family of the bad news.
His teammates honored him at the state tournament, holding the No. 52 when they walked onto the field before the game, which they lost by one point.
“His game, all his teammates – football was everything,” the devastated grandmother said of the “senseless” killing. “And he wanted to succeed, but his life was cut short.”
Smith had dreamed of becoming a professional football player, his grandparents said. Brandon Smith / Hudl
Meriwether Schools Superintendent Robert Griffin and Manchester High School Principal Suze Neal wrote letters to the community.
“Unfortunately Manchester High School’s celebration while playing for the Georgia 1-A State Football Championship took a turn for the worse.”
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the tragic and unexpected death of one of our student-athletes, Brandon Smith,” they said.
Smith’s teammates paid tribute to their fallen colleagues by raising the No. 52 when they walked to the field. WXIA-TV
Smith said she wants her grandson to be remembered for his kindness, saying he was always “good to people.”
Williams was booked into the Meriwether County Jail. The GBI said the investigation is “active and ongoing.”
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