Former Georgia player arrested for murder in Oconee County

Former Georgia wide receiver Ahkil Crumpton has been arrested for murder in Oconee County, Georgia. The former Bulldogs wide receiver was taken into custody for the murder of 23-year old Oconee County man, Elijah Wood.

“Today is the day Elijah Wood’s family, everyone here at the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, and our community has been waiting for. WE GOT HIM!” revealed the Oconee County Georgia Sheriff’s Office on Facebook. “Through countless hours of painstaking investigative work, we finally have the information we have been waiting on. With the help of our partners at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) we have Identified Akhil Crumpton of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as the suspect in the March 19, 2021, murder of Elijah James Wood at the RaceTrac on Hwy 441 in Oconee Co.”

Crumpton played for the Bulldogs for two seasons — 2017 and 2018. He caught ten passes for 117 yards and one touchdown.

Moreover, the Oconee County Georgia Sheriff’s Office provided more insight into how they came to this conclusion.

“This information was received on February 15, 2022 through our ATF partners after a search of the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) database produced a ballistic match of shell casings,” the Sheriff’s Office wrote, via Facebook. “The shell casing from the crime scene at the RaceTrac and a shell casing from a crime scene in Philadelphia were forensically examined and determined to be matched. I immediately launched an investigation to determine if the shooter was the same in both cases.

“This investigation consisted of Oconee Co. Investigators, ATF and FBI agents, and Philadelphia P.D. Investigators. Philadelphia Police Investigators advised they suspected Akhil Crumpton was the shooter in their case. Oconee Co. investigators quickly established a link between Philadelphia and Athens. Crumpton is from Philadelphia, played football for the University of Georgia (UGA) in 2017 and 2018, and was a student at UGA until 2021. This information led to a more in-depth investigation, which produced evidence to secure an arrest warrant for Akhil Nasir Crumpton for the murder of Elijah Wood. This is an active investigation, and no further details are being released at this time.”

In closing, the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office recognizes that the arrest of Ahkil Crumpton won’t bring Elijah Wood back, but it’ll hopefully aid in the healing process for this tragedy.

“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,” wrote the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office. “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.”