An argument ended in a deadly stabbing, and a man is in jail on a murder charge, according to Athens-Clarke County police.

Officers were dispatched to the area of Merlin Drive in reference to the stabbing just after 10:30 p.m. Thursday, police spokesman Epifanio Rodriguez said.

When they arrived, police found Albert Darnell Brown, 37, of Athens, with a single stab wound to his chest.

He was taken to a local hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

Officers learned Brown got into an argument with Rico Tayaassaa Mits, someone police said Brown knew prior to the argument.

“The argument escalated into a physical altercation resulting in the victim being stabbed,” Rodriguez said.

Mits, 41, of Athens, was identified as a suspect in the incident, Rodriguez said.

He fled the scene, but officers found him at a nearby location and arrested him.

In other news:

The college freshman was attending LSU.

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Inventor Lonnie Johnson stands with his Super Soaker water guns at JTEC Energy on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Atlanta. Johnson, a former NASA engineer, is currently working on a new energy technology through his company’s JTEC device that turns thermal heat into usable energy. (Natrice Miller/AJC)