OCONEE COUNTY, Ga. — An 18-year-old was arrested and charged with murder early Thursday morning in relation to the death of Joseph Jackson.
Jackson, 19, came home on a Tuesday night last month with significant injuries believed to have been inflicted during an attack. He later died at a hospital.
Police said the attack possibly occurred outside his home.
The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of Ryan Timothy O’Neal in Wilkes County on Facebook, calling it a “team effort” between their office, the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office and an FBI task force.
An alert had gone out from UGA Police on Wednesday when they discovered a vehicle that they believed was related to the investigation into Jackson’s July 17 death. The car was about three miles from downtown Athens, near the State Botanical Gardens.
The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office did not say if the arrest was related to that incident.
"We have apprised Jackson's family of the current developments, and we ask that their privacy be respected," the Oconee sheriff’s office said Wednesday.
Two brothers, Quentin and Akhemu Dunston of Athens, were taken into custody on Tuesday.