Two more people have been linked to the death of a teenager believed to have been killed over his fancy sneaker collection, according to an indictment handed down Wednesday.
Andrew Richard Murray and Tavaughn D. Saylor have each been charged with seven counts, including murder, felony murder and armed robbery, in the death of Paul Sampleton Jr., according to the indictment.
Sampleton, 14, had been home from Grayson High School a matter of minutes in December when he was bound, shot and left to die in the kitchen of his townhome, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
Earlier this year, four suspects were arrested in the case. Larnell Sillah, 15, faces felony murder, armed robbery and other charges. Achiel Morgan, 15, and Romaine Stewart, 18, are charged with armed robbery and burglary. The teens are being charged as adults.
The fourth suspect, Anthony Lamar English, is believed to have received the stolen items and lied about it. English is charged with theft by receiving stolen property, false statements and writings, and marijuana possession.
Police have previously said Sampleton’s love of high-priced sneakers may have played a role in his death.
A Sig Sauer .45-caliber handgun — along with other handguns, shotguns and assault rifles — was among a dozen firearms stolen from the home, according to police.
In June, Gwinnett County police Detective Andrew Whaley testified that Sillah's and Stewart's fingerprints were found on the window the thieves used to gain entry to the burglarized house. He also testified that Stewart, Sillah and another man offered to sell a confidential informant a .45-caliber handgun for $150 at around the time of the burglary. Stewart told the informant they obtained the gun in a robbery, Whaley said.
The latest two to be linked to the teen’s death are already in custody on unrelated charges, Channel 2 Action News reported. Murray is currently jailed in Connecticut on drug sale charges, and Saylor was located in New York on July 31 and is currently in Atlanta, where he’s being held on federal gun charges.
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