MANCHESTER, Georgia – A teenager has been charged with the murder of Brandon Smith, a Georgia high school football player found shot dead a day before his team was due to play its first state championship in 25 years.
A’darius Jashawn Williams, 19, was arrested and charged with the murder of the 17-year-old athlete whose body was found in a wooded area near the local police station, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
The bureau stated that during the course of the investigation, it was determined that Williams shot and killed Smith following an argument. However, it did not elaborate on what the argument was about or any connections between the pair.
Smith was last seen on Dec. 7 and was reported missing two days later when he failed to return home. His body was found behind a house on Third Avenue in Manchester on Dec. 10, the day before his team played the Georgia 1-A State Football Championship.
Smith’s grandmother, who raised the teen since he was an infant, expressed her concern about her grandson’s well-being. She indicated that she had a feeling something had been bothering him before he went missing.
His teammates honored him at the state championship by holding up his No. 52 jersey as they walked onto the field ahead of the game, which they lost by one point.
Meriwether Schools Superintendent Robert Griffin and Manchester High School Principal Suze Neal wrote a letter to the community expressing their heartbreak over the news of the tragic and untimely death of one of their student-athletes, Brandon Smith.
Williams has been booked into the Meriwether County Jail. The GBI said the investigation is “active and ongoing.”