Five months after surrendering to authorities in Pennsylvania, the man accused of killing a Lumpkin County woman has been moved to Georgia to face his charges.
Austin Todd Stryker, 22, was booked Saturday into the Dawson County Jail in connection with the death of 21-year-old Hannah Bender of Dahlonega, according to county jail records. Authorities have accused him of shooting and stabbing the woman to death on Sept. 15, 2019, one week before her body was found in a shallow grave.
MORE: Officials find body of Lumpkin County woman; suspect's fiancee arrested
Bender’s mother reported her missing after she stopped responding to phone calls and text messages. The discovery of her bloody clothing led investigators to assume the worst, Lumpkin County Sheriff Stacy Jarrard said.
Those fears were confirmed when Bender’s body was found in a Forsyth County ravine.
RELATED: 4 suspects indicted in Lumpkin County woman's murder
Crime scenes associated with the case were found in Dawson, Forsyth and Lumpkin counties, investigators said. In total, six suspects have been arrested in this case, with four indicted.
Stryker was indicted on a charge of malice murder, but few details have been released on how Stryker knew Bender. He surrendered to Pittsburgh police in October.
MORE: Man accused of killing Lumpkin County woman surrenders in Pennsylvania; 6th arrest made
He was also accused of three counts of felony murder, three counts of aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated battery and two firearm-related charges, as well as single counts each of concealing a death, tampering with evidence and a gang-related charge.
Two other men, 19-year-old Dylan Patrick Reid and 18-year-old Isaac Huff, both of Dawsonville, are indicted on charges of helping to conceal her death. They are also charged with three counts of felony murder, three counts of aggravated assault and one count of aggravated battery.
Credit: Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office
A fourth suspect, 78-year-old Jerry Harper, was indicted on one count each of violating Georgia’s street gang law and hindering the apprehension of a criminal, records show. According to his indictment, Harper helped hide Stryker in the days after Bender’s death while Styker was the subject of a nationwide manhunt.
ALSO: 78-year-old man accused of hiding Lumpkin County woman's body arrested
Two more suspects, Elizabeth Brooke Donaldson and Bailey Williams, both 21, were also arrested on charges of tampering with evidence, but they have not been indicted. Donaldson is Stryker’s fiancee.
Credit: Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office
An arraignment hearing is scheduled for March 12 for Stryker, Reid, Huff and Harper. The four men remain in custody without bond.
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