A 17-year-old Atlantan has been charged with murder in the death of young man found shot to death near a shuttered school.

Records obtained Monday confirm Jeremy Hogens is accused in the Feb. 4 death of Sammy Watson, 20.

Watson was found dead behind a fence near the former Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School on Hosea L. Williams Drive.

A police report released Monday said witnesses heard gunshots in the area of Edgewood Court Apartments on Hardee Street. Spent cartridges and casings were found near the body, which was in a field.

Hogens lives at the apartment complex, according to jail records.

He was arrested on Feb. 8 and remained held in the DeKalb County jail without bond Monday.

Further information hasn’t been released.

Like DeKalb County News Now on Facebook | Follow on Twitter and Instagram

About the Author

Keep Reading

An Atlanta police officer and detective stand in the parking lot of the Vivide nightclub on Marietta Boulevard following a fatal stabbing early Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Blandtown. (Ben Hendren for the AJC)

Credit: Ben Hendren

Featured

Carleigh Knight (left) and her sister, Natalie Rogovin, look at Christmas ornaments while shopping at Kudzu Antiques + Modern in Decatur on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (Natrice Miller/AJC)

Credit: Natrice Miller