A man suspected in the Sept. 1 double slaying of a local tour guide and an aspiring lawyer was found shot to death March 16 at a Savannah nightclub and police are searching for his accomplice in the homicides.
Savannah-Chatham police found 32-year-old Sidney Grant dead in front of Frozen Paradise, in the 600 block of Indian Road, about 2 a.m. March 16 while responding to a shooting call.
Police spokesman Julian Miller on Wednesday confirmed Grant was a suspect police had been searching for in the Labor Day weekend slayings of 21-year-old tour guide Emily Pickels and 30-year-old Michael Biancosino, who worked for his brother’s law firm and planned to attend law school.
Biancosino and Pickels were found shot to death inside his crashed car near the intersection of Henry Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard about 3:45 a.m. Sept. 1.
Police have said the victims were sitting in the car just yards away from Pickels’ Henry Street apartment when the shooting began.
Police had questioned Grant — who in March 2011 a jury acquitted of murder and other charges in the October 2010 shooting death of Vandell Bivens at Frazier Homes — after they’d indicated in late October he was a person of interest in the Sept. 1 slayings and asked the public’s help in finding him. He was not charged at the time.
Two other suspects were charged Oct. 3 with crimes Miller described at the time as related to Pickels’ and Biancosino’s deaths, but they were not charged.
Walter Moon, 32, faces drug and weapons charges related to the Sept. 1 case. He is currently incarcerated at Calhoun State Prison and awaiting trail on those charges, according to Georgia Corrections and Chatham County Courts records.
Kiawana Williams, 32, was charged with making false statements to investigators and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to about three months in prison and five years probation, court records show.
On Wednesday, Miller said homicide detectives were renewing their request for the public to come forward with information about Pickels’ and Biancosino’s deaths.
A total of $13,225 in reward money is available to tipsters who provide information about the case thanks to contributions made by friends and family members of the victims.
Violent Crimes Unit detectives are continuing to investigate. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 912-234-2020 or text CRIMES (274637). In the body type, include “CStop2020” plus the tip. Tipsters remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward. A confidential tip line that allows callers to speak directly to investigators but does not offer anonymity or reward money also is available at 912-525-3124.