PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. — Elijah Harris, 17, has been charged with murder. He’s accused of stabbing a man to death on Father’s Day.
Investigators said it appears to be a landlord-tenant dispute, but neighbors believe it’s deeper than that.
[RELATED: Teen charged with murder after stabbing his Paulding County landlord, police say]
“For him to stab him like that, it was something deeper than that,” said a neighbor, who asked not to be identified.
The sheriff’s office confirmed the 17-year-old got into an argument with Brian Johns.
Investigators said Harris stabbed Johns multiple times with a knife.
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“The lights were just flashing on the house, and the police and everybody were here,” said the neighbor.
The neighbor described a much different Harris than the one investigators believe stabbed Johns.
“He’s a sweet boy. Anybody can justify that and say that, validate who he is. He’s very, very sweet,” said the neighbor.
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Kasmin Johns, daughter of the victim, wrote on a GoFundMe page about a 10 p.m. call she received from her father on Father’s Day. She described what appears to be a tenant-landlord dispute. She said 30 minutes later she got another call and found out her father had been stabbed.
The Paulding County Sheriff’s Office stated it is still trying to figure out a motive. The murder is still an open and active investigation.
Neighbors said that Johns and the teen’s mother were in a relationship.
The Paulding County Sheriff’s Office stated Harris and his mother rented the basement of the home.
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