Teen arrested after Ga. high school football player found dead day before state championship game

MANCHESTER, Ga. — The GBI has arrested and charged a 19-year-old in the death of a high school football player killed last month.

Brandon Smith, a 17-year-old who went to Manchester High School, was last seen on Dec. 7 and was reported missing two days later.

His body was found on Dec. 10 behind a home. Investigators determined that he had been shot and killed following an argument.

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A’darius Jashawn Williams has now been charged with Smith’s murder.

In a letter penned to families, the district said they were “heartbroken to hear the news of the tragic and untimely death of one of our student-athletes, Brandon Smith.”

Smith, a member of the Manchester High School Blue Devils football team, was supposed to be with his teammates the day after his body was found, playing for the Georgia 1-A State Football Championship.

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Channel 2′s Tyisha Fernandes spoke with his sister, Janiyah Smith, after the shooting. She said she looked up to her big brother.

“He was the best brother in the world,” Smith said. “All that I could ask for to be honest.”

Williams is currently being held in the Meriwether County Jail.

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Family remembers 17-year-old high school football player found dead

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