2 charged as officials investigate death of Gainesville man after fight
A man died shortly after losing consciousness during a fight with two other people last week. Both survivors now face battery charges in the fight, but neither man has been charged in the victim’s death.
Hall County investigators are still working to determine what caused 24-year-old John Aaron McMurray’s death at his Gainesville home Oct. 28, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Investigators said McMurray and two of his friends — identified as Zachary Duane Russell and John Marlin King Jr. — were involved in a fight at the home on Old Athens Road about 3:20 that morning.
At some point during the fight, McMurray became unresponsive, the sheriff’s office said. The Gainesville Fire Department arrived at the scene and tried to save McMurray’s life, but he ultimately died of his injuries, authorities said.
Russell, 28, of Flowery Branch, and King, 30, of Winder, were both arrested on offenses related to the fight, the sheriff’s office said. King is charged with battery and aggravated assault, and Russell faces one count each of battery and party to the crime of aggravated assault.
Both men were booked into the Hall County Jail, where they remain. It is not clear if more charges are expected.
Hall investigators sent McMurray’s body to the GBI Crime Lab for an autopsy. His death remains under investigation.
About the Author
Asia Simone Burns is a watchdog reporter for the AJC. Burns was formerly an intern in AJC’s newsroom and now writes about crime. She is a graduate of Samford University and has previously reported for NPR and WABE, Atlanta’s NPR member station.
