Man acquitted of murder trial in Athens now faces murder charge in Jefferson
A man who was acquitted of a murder charge in an Athens trial in 2021 has been charged again with murder, but this time in Jefferson where he is accused of killing a teenager last month.
Jefferson police announced Thursday they have charged 27-year-old Willie Tremaine Nickholas Evans with murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Evans is charged in the slaying of Joshua Wick, 19, whose body was found Jan. 20 lying on Holders Siding Road.
Jefferson police Chief Joe Wirthman told the press that investigators believe Wick was tossed out of a vehicle on the roadway.
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However, police have not said where they believe Wick was slain, how his life was taken, and a motive.
The suspect in Wick’s death was previously charged with murder in Athens. Evans was tried for the June 2019 shooting death of David Lee Burnett, 51, who was shot to death in his University Oaks apartment off West Broad Street.
After his arrest for murdering Burnett, Evans denied the crime, although Athens-Clarke police said Evans was in possession of a firearm that forensic tests showed was used in Burnett’s slaying. Evans told police that he found the gun on the roadside in Oconee County, according to testimony in the 2021 trial.
Evans was living in Winder at the time of the slaying in Jefferson, according to the arrest report. He is currently in the Barrow County Jail.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: A former resident of Athens charged with murdering a teen in Jefferson
