He was released from a northwest Georgia jail Thursday. Within 24 hours, he was back in custody and accused of killing a man who once offered him a place to stay.
Eric Stewart, 26, of Calhoun, was arrested Friday in connection with the death of 54-year-old Donnie Charles. Charles’ family found the man dead early that morning outside his Murray County home, according to the GBI. Soon after, authorities discovered a campsite near Charles’ property along with several items covered in blood.
Some of those items belonged to Charles, said Joe Montgomery, the GBI special agent in charge. The other items were allegedly traced back to Stewart.
Charles allowed Stewart to stay at his home earlier this year, Montgomery told reporters during a news conference Monday. The man was known among his Resaca community for his generosity.
“Mr. Charles didn’t have a lot of money, but Mr. Charles was one of those people that what little he had, he gave to the community,” Montgomery said.
Authorities did not provide any further details about Stewart's stay or his connection to the victim, Chattanooga news station WRCB-TV reported.
Stewart had been held in the Gordon County jail since May 1 on misdemeanor charges of shoplifting and obstruction. On Thursday, Stewart was released after a judge sentenced him to serve two years on probation, according to Gordon County records.
He walked out of the county jail around 9:30 p.m., records show, and authorities believe he then returned to Charles’ Sexton Road home.
Montgomery said information from community members helped Murray County investigators identify Stewart as a suspect and track him down not far from the campsite. He was apprehended about 11:15 a.m. by Sheriff Gary Langford and Chief Deputy Jimmy Davenport, less than three hours after Charles’ body was discovered.
During the news conference, Montgomery declined to comment on motive.
“We were able to move so quickly,” he told reporters. “I mean you talk about from the time the body was discovered, by lunchtime we already had someone in jail and in custody.”
Stewart is being held at the Murray County Jail on charges of murder and concealing the death of another. His bond was denied, the Dalton Daily Citizen reported.
The GBI was scheduled to perform an autopsy Saturday to determine Charles’ cause of death.
In other news:
About the Author
