A former University of Georgia football player has been slammed with a 30-year prison sentence after he was convicted for the murder of a gas station clerk and involvement in a separate fatal shooting. Ahkil Nasir Crumpton, 26, known as "Crump," received the maximum sentence of 20 years for attempted robbery and an additional 10 years for making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm, adding up to a total of 30 years behind bars plus three years of supervised release. The sentence was handed down in connection with the 2021 death of Elijah Wood, a RaceTrac gas station worker in Oconee County, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.
The tragic series of events were set in motion on March 19, 2021, when Crumpton, wearing dark clothing and his face covered, fatally shot Wood during an aborted robbery attempt. According to WSB-TV, surveillance footage captured Crumpton fleeing the scene shortly after the incident occurred. Neither money nor merchandise was taken from the gas station. A-tragic layer was added when Wood's girlfriend testified that she was on a FaceTime call with him during his final moments.
Following this incident, Crumpton found himself involved in yet another shooting in Philadelphia on July 17, 2021, resulting in the death of Anthony Jones. Investigators were able to confirm that the firearm used in both shootings was the same Glock 19 pistol. Crumpton tried to elude capture but was eventually arrested on March 16, 2022, after attempting to jump out of his bedroom window to escape the FBI. Law enforcement officers found the firearm and other incriminating evidence among Crumpton's possessions.
Crumpton, whose stint with the University of Georgia's football team as a wide receiver spanned the 2017 and 2018 seasons, lived near the crime scene during the time of the murder. Juwan Taylor, Crumpton’s teammate and roommate, testified that Crumpton admitted to the shooting, saying, "I didn’t mean to do it – I just wanted the money, I just shot him at the store, at the store," WSB-TV reported. In addition to his federal sentence, Crumpton is to also face state charges for murder and other offenses in Georgia.
Joining Crumpton in legal woes is James North Armstrong, co-defendant and the person who procured the fatal weapon. Armstrong pleaded guilty to making false statements during the purchase of a firearm and is set to be sentenced on March 20. U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary was quoted by FOX 5 Atlanta expressing that Crumpton's "violent crime ended Elijah Wood’s young life and has been the cause of immeasurable pain to many people in the Oconee County community and beyond." The case was brought to a resolution with the help of multiple agencies, including the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, ATF, FBI, GBI, Athens-Clarke County Police Department, and Philadelphia Police Department.
