Full Notification

On December 31, 2016, 18 year old Cherish Williams was murdered at Independence Park which would be the last and one of the most heart wrenching murders of 2016.  The Clayton County community was outraged that a young girl so full of promise and about to graduate from High School lost her life in a senseless robbery attempt.

The Clayton County Police Department was relentless in obtaining justice for Cherish Williams and her family, and as a result performed some of the finest police work proving that they have one of the best Homicide units in the nation!

Police Chief Joseph Woodall stated that he personally wanted to thank the following CCPD personnel for their exemplary police work in solving this homicide:

- Detective J. Orona (primary detective)

- Capt. W. Norwood, case supervisor 

- Capt. M. O'Shields, Precinct Commander

- All assisting Sector 3 officers 

Chief Woodall also wanted to thank the following assisting agencies for their help as well:

- CCSO for assisting with the apprehensions

- DA Tracey Lawson and ADA Sperry for all their investigative assistance and future prosecutorial work.

Our hats are off to the Clayton County Police Department for their dedication to solving this crime, and restoring law and order to the Independence Park area.  This  type of stellar police work is far from over, and we can look for action in other unsolved cases in the near future! 

The following is a press release from the Clayton County Police Department detailing the investigation:

On December 31, 2016, Clayton County Police Officers were responding to Independence Park in reference to an attempting armed robbery and shooting when they were advised that friends of 18-year-old Cherish Williams had already left the scene in an attempt to transport her to the hospital for treatment. While on the way to the hospital, they were stopped by a Fayette County Sheriff’s Deputy who called for an ambulance to transport Williams the remaining distance to the hospital where she later succumbed to her injuries. 

The preliminary investigation revealed that the shooting was the result of an armed robbery attempt which was one of many that had occurred in the same general area. On January 2, 2017, a tip provided to detectives gave the name of one suspect and photographs of four other possible suspects in the murder. A visit to Mundy’s Mill High School helped detectives positively identify the four other suspects in the photos. 

On January 5, 2017, the case picked up when the mother of a robbery victim called detectives to inquire about the status of her son’s robbery which occurred in October and advised that she thought the same people were responsible for the murder of Cherish Williams. Detectives re-interviewed the victims of that robbery and through that interview, the victims were able to positively identify the suspects as the people who robbed them. Detectives revisited several other robbery cases and were able to link several of the suspects to the robberies. Early in the case, detectives believed that they had identified at least one suspect who was connected to the murder of Cherish Williams but continued to work to uncover stronger evidence. 

On January 11, 2017, armed with evidence that Dequan Robinson (16y/o), Aaron Drummond (16 y/o), and Keenan Scurry (17 y/o) were responsible for armed robberies in the Independence Park area, the Clayton County Police Department executed three separate search warrants at their homes. During the searches, police recovered a litany of evidence linking them to the crimes. Robinson and Drummond, who were found to be two of the three suspects identified as being responsible for the murder of Cherish Williams were arrested on Armed Robbery charges and have been in custody since that date. Detectives obtained another search warrant which was executed on February 1, 2017, that resulted in the arrest of Ulas Scurry (15 y/o) and Jakeem Williams (17 y/o). Jakeem Williams was determined to be the third suspect responsible for the murder of Cherish Williams and he has been in custody since that date. 

From February 1 until June, the investigation has continued as searches of personal cellphones as well as social media accounts were conducted and a case was built on all five subjects. As the case developed, Detectives were able to link Norman Logan (18 y/o) to the other suspects. Logan has been in jail since August of 2016 on a Home Invasion charge. 

On June 21, 2017, Detective J. Orona and members of the Clayton County District Attorney’s Office presented a case to a Clayton County Grand Jury seeking indictments on Keenan Scurry, Ulas Scurry, Dequan Robinson, Aaron Drummond, Jakeem Williams, and Norman Logan on a total of 152 charges to include the following: 

• Felony Murder (Cherish Williams)
• Armed Robbery
• Home Invasion
• Aggravated Assault
• Attempted Armed Robbery

2 

• Home Invasion
• Aggravated Battery
• Loitering and Prowling
• Hijacking – Motor Vehicle
• Terroristic Threats
• Minor in Possession of a Handgun
  *All suspects are being charged as adults.
  On June 21, 2017, the Grand Jury returned a “True Bill” decision which was revealed on June 23, 2017. The Clayton County Police Department is pleased to announce that six suspects have been formally charged in a rash of criminal gang activity and most notably, for the murder of 18-year-old Cherish Williams. The Clayton County Sheriff’s Office and the Clayton County District Attorney’s Office has been instrumental in the prosecution of this case and we would like to thank them for their efforts.   

Chief Joseph Woodall