Police have arrested a 16-year-old in the death of a 77-year-old woman whose bloodied body was found in her Gwinnett County home by a relative Friday morning.
James Watkins is charged with felony murder, aggravated assault and burglary in the death of Margaret Sheffield, Gwinnett County police spokesman Cpl. Deon Washington said in an emailed statement late Friday night.
While the official manner and cause of death will be determined by the Gwinnett County medical examiner, it appears that Sheffield was stabbed, Washington said. The motive appears to be theft, he added.
Watkins lived in the same neighborhood as Sheffield and knew her, Washington said.
Family members had not had contact with Sheffield for 24 hours before her body was discovered in her Track Way home in unincorporated Dacula.
Watkins is being charged as an adult, Washington said. He was sent to the Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Center.
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