MADISON HOMICIDE: Georgia man ID’d as victim

Published 9:18 pm Tuesday, August 15, 2017

A Georgia man performing construction work at the Publix on County Line Road in Madison was the victim of a homicide late Monday night.

A release from the Madison Police Department said the body of 61-year-old Van Johnson of Riverdale, Georgia, was found near the rear of the building. An investigation determined he had been assaulted.

Police have identified the suspects as Jakobe Isaiah Carter, 18, of 1003 25th Ave., Phenix City, and Arron Raynard Jones, 17, of 2001 12th Ave. N., Birmingham. The teens had been on the run since Monday morning when they left Sequel TSI, also known as Three Springs, on Browns Ferry Road.

The facility has a contract with the state to house juveniles who have been adjudicated and committed by the Alabama Department of Youth Services. It also houses juveniles placed there by the Alabama Department of Human Resources.

Following the discovery of the Publix homicide, a search operation was conducted by Madison Police, the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Huntsville Police Department, U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, Limestone County District Attorney’s Office and Priceville Police Department.

Carter and Jones were found at about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday morning in a wooded area near Three Springs. The release said both were taken into custody without incident.

They were each charged with one count of capital murder and one count of second-degree burglary. Though Jones is a minor, he was charged as an adult. They were both booked into the Limestone County Jail Tuesday afternoon. No bond had been set as of Tuesday evening.

“Leaders with the Madison Police Department have reached out to the administration at Sequel TSI in Madison to discuss ways to minimize security risks to the surrounding community,” the release said.