Athens man murdered in Jackson County

By Joe Johnson

Authorities are investigating the murder of an Athens man whose body was found in Jackson County.

Antwone Shalmar Lay, 29, was shot to death Friday in the parking lot of Antioch United Methodist Church Road in Nicholson.

At the request of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, agents from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are investigating the matter.

Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum would not provide details about the murder or say why she asked the state agency to take the case.

“Those questions won't be answered at this time due to this being an ongoing investigation,” she said.

Other law enforcement sources said that Lay had been picked up in a vehicle in the Nellie B neighborhood of Athens and driven to the church where his body was later found, with shell casings scattered around him.

Lay’s death was apparently drug related, they said, shot during either a deal gone sideways or one that turned into a robbery.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office at 706-367-8718 or the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Athens at 706-552-2309.

Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online