Man charged with murder 11 months after burned body found near Fulton airport

An Atlanta man, Carl Jones, was arrested and charged with murder following a wide-ranging, 11-month investigation.

Police were led to accuse Jones, 21, of killing another man for his truck, and then burning his body beyond recognition near the Fulton County Airport. Jones is accused of shooting 32-year-old Nicholas Williams, whose burned body was discovered on Dec. 13, 2022, in the woods off Old Gordon Road in northwest Atlanta.

Investigation of this crime began after a man who regularly walks through the woods near the airport discovered Williams’ body and called 911. The warrants said officers found a severely burned body that could not be identified until after the autopsy.

Williams had been reported missing in Cobb County, and his 2022 Dodge Ram TRX was discovered in DeKalb County. The truck’s sale history led investigators to Jones, who was linked to the OTR street gang. Detectives executed a search warrant at a southwest Atlanta residence associated with the gang in April. Jones attempted to escape but was apprehended.

During a search of the home, a DVR containing security video footage was confiscated. Jones faced multiple charges, including drug, gun, and gang-related offenses.

Although he admitted to taking the truck and selling it for $3,000, he was not initially charged in connection with Williams’ killing due to lack of probable cause. Jones was released on bond less than two weeks later.

Homicide detectives later reviewed the DVR security video footage from the arrest location, revealing three men, including Jones, entering the truck on the day Williams was killed. A new arrest warrant was issued, leading to Jones’ re-arrest on Tuesday.

Jail records show that Jones was booked into the Fulton jail on several felony counts, including murder, tampering with evidence, and theft by taking. His bond was denied at the first appearance hearing on Wednesday.  

Jones’ arrest warrants suggest that he is a suspected gang member and had accomplices in the crimes he is accused of. Police have not disclosed whether additional individuals will face charges in connection with Nicholas Williams’ murder.

As for Williams, the Michigan native was buried in his hometown of Niles, near South Bend, Indiana, in February, according to his obituary.

Williams was an aspiring recording artist and music producer who moved to Atlanta in 2009 to pursue a music degree at American Intercontinental University.