The 20-year-old accused of killing two teenagers behind a Roswell Publix pleaded not guilty Thursday morning during his arraignment in Fulton County Superior Court.
Jeffrey Hazelwood appeared in court about three minutes, just long enough to enter his plea before being escorted out. His long, dark hair was down, and Hazelwood’s appearance didn’t appear to have changed since his last court appearance. But he was calm and still, unlike the shaking man who appeared in court in the days after his August arrest.
Hazelwood is accused of killing Natalie Henderson and Carter Davis, both 17, in the early-morning hours Aug. 1. The teenagers, both set to start their senior year of high school, were in the back of Henderson’s SUV when Hazelwood spotted the pair, he later told Roswell detectives.
Then, Hazelwood approached the SUV with a gun, according to police. He shot and killed Davis before allegedly assaulting Henderson and shooting her to death, police said.
Relatives of both Henderson and Davis were in court Thursday morning, as were Hazelwood’s grandparents. Security was tighter than normal outside Judge Shawn LaGrua’s courtroom, where deputies collected all electronic devices and screen items being carried.
Through surveillance footage and SUV ownership records, investigators identified Hazelwood as the lone suspect in the killings. Within 48 hours, he was arrested. Hazelwood described to detectives his actions, which also included stealing a debit card and jumper cables after killing the teens, but never offered a motive, according to police.
In October, a grand jury indicted Hazelwood on 15 counts, including charges of murder, felony murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping, aggravated sexual battery, financial transaction card theft, identify fraud, theft by taking and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
— Please return for updates.
About the Author
