CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — An 11-year-old cold case out of Clayton County has finally been cracked.
Four men have been arrested in connection to a triple-murder mystery that spanned from Clayton County to Fulton County.
One of the accused killers is a middle school assistant principal.
Back in 2013, 11Alive was on scene when Union City Police discovered three bodies abandoned in a car off of I-85. The victims: Quinones King, 33, Cheryl Colquitt-Thompson, 32, and Rodney Cottrell, 43.
Holley House is King's sister and Colquitt-Thompson's aunt.
"I was really concerned that so much time had passed that we weren't going to get this case closed," House said.
House said it's been agonizing, knowing her brother's killer was still out there, somewhere. All she could do was miss him.
RELATED: 2013 cold case where 3 people were tortured, murdered finally solved: Clayton County sheriff
House describes King as silly and fun-loving. He was the second-youngest child, or "knee baby," in her big family.
"He was actually the glue that held our family together," House said.
All of a sudden, the family was pulled apart. Clayton County Sheriff Levon Allen said the three victims were forced at gunpoint, tortured, and murdered in Jonesboro at a home on Magnolia Drive. The bodies were dumped in Fulton County. Clayton County Police investigated, but the case went cold.
"We knew who did it, but there was no evidence," House said.
Allen released this statement:
"Chief Kevin Robert, the head of Clayton County Police Department and his outstanding investigators were able to crack this 11-year-old case and provide Clayton County District Attorney Tasha Mosley and her team with the proper information to successfully get murder indictments from the grand jury.
On Wednesday, May 8th, 2024, the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office received 12 murder warrants for
Kenneth Thompson (3 Counts of Malice Murder), Keante Harris (3 Counts of Malice Murder),
Kevin Harris (3 Counts of Malice Murder), Darrell Harris (3 Counts of Malice Murder).
Upon receipt of this information, Sheriff Levon Allen immediately activated his “Elite Fugitive Unit” to locate and apprehend all four of the outstanding suspects.
I’m pleased to announce today that through hard work and diligent investigations, within 48 hours all four (4) Murder Suspects were taken into custody across three (3) states, without incident.
Clayton County Sheriff Levon Allen would like to thank each of our Law Enforcement partners locally and abroad, who came together to bring these suspects to justice."
A grand jury indicted Keante Harris, Derrell Adams, Kenneth Thompson, and Kevin Harris. Allen announced Friday that all four have been arrested across three states: Alabama, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
House said it's been a long time coming.
"It was rough," House said. "My brother had kids. My niece had a son. And with the kids asking about their dad, and then, him missing out on graduations, and his youngest brother having kids-- it was hard."
The arrest announcement didn't shock House because she said she believes the alleged killers are related to her niece, Colquitt-Thompson's husband. However, she said she didn't know them personally.
What did surprise her was finding out Keante Harris is an assistant principal at McAdory Middle School in Jefferson County, Alabama. Superintendent Dr. Walter Gonsoulin released this statement:
“We have been made aware that Mr. Keante Harris was arrested Wednesday afternoon. At this time we still are gathering facts about the specifics of this situation. However, early indications are that the charges are not related to this individual’s employment with Jefferson County Schools. Per standard procedure, Mr. Harris has been placed on paid administrative leave. As more facts become available, we will act according to our district’s policy.”
Harris had his first appearance on Monday.
"You take someone--someone from their family. And you're OK with it? For 11 years, you walked around here as if nothing ever happened," House said.
House said her dad passed away two years ago. She feels these arrests close a final chapter for her family. And she wants whoever killed her loved ones prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
"This was a topic that he talked about often and wanted closure," House said as she pointed to the sky. "So, Daddy, we have closure, baby!"
We reached out for updates on the arrest's next court dates and extradition decisions and have not heard back.