Three local men were indicted on murder and related charges Wednesday for a September shooting that killed two people on Barnes Drive in West Savannah.
Emile Randolph, 32, shot and killed 19-year-old Ja’Von Wilson, the Chatham County grand jury said in returning an indictment that charged Randolph with one count of malice murder and two counts of felony murder in the Sept. 12 encounter.
Grand jurors said Asim Jelani Simmons Jr. and Quamelius “Mook” Lee shot and killed 24-year-old Jayquan Turner in the same incident. Simmons, 19, and Lee, 20 — both individually and as parties in the commission of a crime — are charged with malice murder, felony murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Those two were also indicted on an armed robbery charge for taking a cellphone from victim Shawn Rhinehart at gunpoint the day before, and they face a separate firearm possession charge for that incident.
Randolph was also indicted for two counts of possession of a firearm a convicted felon and one count of being a recidivist.
Man re-indicted in killing of girlfriend
A Savannah man was re-indicted Wednesday in the November 2014 slaying of his girlfriend on the city’s east side.
Roman Eugene Hills, 39, killed Beverly Jones by strangling, beating and stabbing her in their Graydon Street home, the Chatham County grand jury said in returning a five-count indictment that charges Hills with malice murder and felony murder. He was also indicted on three charges of aggravated assault under the family violence act — one count each for strangulation, beating and attacking Jones with a sharp object.
Savannah-Chatham police initially charged Hills with aggravated assault after Southside Fire/EMS medics were called to his house on the 1100 block of Graydon and found Jones dead. The charge was upped to murder after an autopsy, police said.
He was originally indicted in January 2015 on malice murder, felony murder and one aggravated assault charge.
Police look for help finding theft suspect
Savannah-Chatham police are seeking the public’s help in identifying at least one suspect who entered several vehicles in a Whitemarsh Island neighborhood early Sunday morning.
Police responded to the 100 block of Turnbuckle Court in the Battery Point neighborhood just before 11 a.m. to find three victims that said their vehicles had been broken into overnight, said Darnisha Green, police spokeswoman. Two of the vehicles were unlocked, and the other had no signs of forced entry. A suspect stole cash and electronics, Green said.
Surveillance footage shows a light colored vehicle, possibly an older model Toyota 4 Runner, driving down the street just before the incidents occurred. The suspect is shown walking up to a residence moments after, using a flashlight to look inside a vehicle, eventually entering it, Green said.
The suspect is described as a short, white male with a slender build. He may have possibly been wearing a backpack during the incident.
Anyone with information on this case should call CrimeStoppers at 912-234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637) using the keyword CSTOP2020. Tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.
A confidential tip line also is open directly to investigators at 912-525-3124.
Savannah man gets prison for molesting Effingham child
A Savannah man arrested in 2014 on an Effingham County child molestation warrant has been sentenced to five years in jail and 10 years probation.
Jason Hilliard was arrested in Chatham County after an Effingham investigation that lasted several months.
Investigators said Hilliard molested a 6-year-old child.
Hilliard pleaded guilty to the child molestation charges in December 2015.