OCONEE COUNTY, Ga. — Authorities announced Wednesday a former UGA football player had been arrested in the murder nearly a year ago of a RaceTrac clerk in Oconee County.
Elijah Wood, 23, was shot and killed while working on the early morning of March 19, 2021.
The Oconee County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday that after an extensive manhunt, a new investigative development in February led them to the arrest of the suspect in Philadelphia.
11Alive, in accordance with station policy, is not naming the suspect or publishing his mug shot. You can review that policy here.
"Today is the day Elijah Wood’s family, everyone here at the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, and our community has been waiting for," the sheriff's office said in a post. "WE GOT HIM!"
The post added that a ballistic profile came through in February for a shell casing found in Philadelphia that matched the casing in the RaceTrac murder.
"This is an active investigation, and no further details are being released at this time," the sheriff's office said.
Wood's family spoke to 11Alive last July about the pain the murder left them with.
“It gets difficult for me to drive by here,” said Wood’s brother-in-law, Tripp Lemmonds, who is married to Wood’s twin sister.
The day someone shot and killed Wood changed their family forever.
“We don’t get the phone calls anymore just to see how we’re doing anymore from Elijah or the little texts just to check on us or the random little things he used to do anymore. I don’t get to see him once a week coming by just to play with my son,” said Lemmonds.
The sheriff's office said in a statement: "For the past year we have seen the pain, agony, and frustrations this murder has brought to Elijah’s family, friends, and to our community. We all know this arrest will not bring Elijah back, but we hope his family, friends, and this community can now begin the healing process. We also know that the fight is not over. We must now successfully prosecute the case in a court of law."
“This case is not over,” said Oconee Co. Sheriff James A. Hale Jr. “The arrest is only the start of the process, which will not end until we successfully prosecute this case in a court of law.”
