Source: United States Department of Justice News
MACON, Ga. – A federal grand jury today returned a four-count indictment charging a Philadelphia resident with murder, attempted robbery and firearms charges. A co-defendant is accused of illegally purchasing the alleged murder weapon.
Akhil Nasir Crumpton aka Crump, 24, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is charged with interference with commerce by attempted robbery (Count One), use and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence (Count Two), murder with a firearm during a crime of violence (Count Three) and false statement during the purchase of a firearm (Count Four). James Armstrong, 34, of Commerce, Georgia, is charged with false statement during the purchase of a firearm (Count Four). The statutory maximum sentence for Count One is 20 years imprisonment; the statutory maximum sentence for Count Two and Count Three is life imprisonment; and the statutory maximum sentence for Count Four is ten years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
The indictment alleges that Crumpton brandished a Glock 9mm pistol during an attempted robbery of the RaceTrac gas station and convenience store on Macon Highway in Watkinsville, Georgia, on March 19, 2021, before shooting and killing store clerk Elijah Wood. The indictment alleges that Armstrong illegally purchased the firearm for Crumpton on Feb. 8, 2021, at the Franklin Gun Shop in Athens, Georgia, by falsely claiming to be the buyer on the Firearms Transaction Record-Form 4473 when Crumpton was the actual buyer. It is a federal offense to lie on Form 4473.
The case was investigated by the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), FBI, GBI, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department and the Philadelphia Police Department, with assistance from U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Morrison.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.