MACON, Ga. — A federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment Tuesday, charging a former University of Georgia football player with murder and other charges in connection to the shooting death of an Oconee County RaceTrac clerk on March 19, 2021.
According to a release from the Department of Justice, Akhil Nasir Crumpton, known commonly as "Crump" is being charged with:
- Interference with commerce by attempted robbery (Count one)
- Use and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence (Count two)
- Murder with a firearm during a crime of violence (Count three)
- False statement during the purchase of a firearm (Count four)
Another 34-year-old man of Commerce, Georgia, is also being charged with false statement during the purchase of a firearm (count four). The co-defendant is accused of illegally purchasing the alleged murder weapon, the DOJ said.
According to the DOJ, the statutory maximum sentence for count one (see list of charges above) is 20 years imprisonment. The DOJ added that the statutory maximum sentence for Counts two and three is life imprisonment. Additionally, the statutory maximum sentence for Count four is 10 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine, the DOJ said.
The indictment alleges that then 24-year-old Crump took out a Glock 9mm pistol during an attempted robbery at the RaceTrac gas station on Macon Highway in Watkinsville, Georgia, before shooting and killing store clerk Elijah Wood, 23.
The indictment also alleges the 34-year-old Commerce man illegally purchased the gun for him at the Franklin Gun Shop in Athens, Georgia by "falsely claiming to be the buyer on the Firearms Transaction Record-Form 4474."
For nearly a year, authorities worked to make an arrest in connection to Wood's murder. The DOJ said the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), FBI, GBI, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department and the Philadelphia Police Department investigated the case, with assistance from U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
The case is currently being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Morrison.