Thirty years after a small-town pastor was shot on the roof of a rural Jeff Davis County church, state investigators say they finally have their suspect. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has charged 47-year-old Zachary B. Harper of Hazlehurst with felony murder and malice murder in the 1996 killing of 54-year-old Pastor James Hand, and agents say the case is very much still active.
GBI Names Suspect in Long-Running Cold Case
In a public release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, agents said Harper is now charged with one count of felony murder and one count of malice murder in connection with Hand’s death on June 1, 1996. According to the release, Jeff Davis County Sheriff’s deputies found Hand on the roof of the Full Gospel Church of Snipesville, where he had been working on repairs, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Suspect Already Serving Life Sentence
Investigators say new tips and details that surfaced during the renewed probe ultimately focused attention on Harper, although officials have not publicly laid out what specific evidence tied him to the killing. Harper did not have far to travel for the arrest: he was already serving a life sentence at Jenkins Correctional Facility on unrelated convictions, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.
Case Still Active as Prosecutors Prepare
The GBI says agents are still working the Hand case and taking in new information. Once investigators wrap up their work, the file is set to go to the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for potential prosecution. Officials are asking anyone who knows something, or thinks they might, to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Douglas at 912-389-4103 or submit an anonymous tip at 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), according to the agency’s release.
What Felony Murder and Malice Murder Mean in Georgia
Under Georgia’s murder statute, OCGA § 16-5-1, malice murder is defined as an unlawful killing that happens with malice aforethought, while felony murder covers a death that occurs during the commission of a felony regardless of intent to kill. Both forms of murder carry some of the state’s toughest penalties, including life in prison. As summarized by Justia, the statute also provides that a person convicted of murder may face life imprisonment or, in capital cases, the death penalty.
Cold-Case Clues and a Long Road to Arrest
Georgia has seen other long-stalled cases gain traction after years of silence, when fresh leads and renewed scrutiny pushed them forward. The investigation into the disappearance of Tara Grinstead, for example, moved ahead after new information surfaced and extensive follow-up work was done, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. For now, GBI agents say they will keep building the case around Hand’s killing and are again nudging anyone with knowledge of what happened on that church roof in 1996 to reach out through the contact options listed by the GBI.
