UPDATE: Five SC residents arrested in murder investigation

ELBERT CO – The GBI has arrested five South Carolina residents in connection with the murder investigation of a 15-year-old.

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UPDATE:

The GBI Metro Gang Task Force arrested and charged Christopher Bell, age 19, of Anderson, SC, with murder, violating the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, aggravated assault and four counts of aggravated assault in connection with the death of a 15 year old and the shooting of several other people from Elbert County, GA.

On Thursday, November 7, 2024, the GBI executed a search warrant for a home in Lithonia, Dekalb County, Georgia, where Bell was located and taken into custody.

The GBI Special Operations Unit, GBI Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office, Dekalb County Police Department and the FBI assisted the GBI Metro Gang Task Force with this arrest and search warrant.

Bell was taken to the Dekalb County Jail pending extradition to Elbert County.

This investigation is active and ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Elbert County Sheriff's Office at 706-283-2421 or the GBI Regional Investigations Office in Athens at 706-552-2309. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by phone at 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.

ORIGINAL PUBLICATION –
The GBI has arrested and charged the following five people in connection with the death of a 15-year-old and the shooting of several other people from Elbert County, Georgia:

• Jarquavious Scott, 18, of Anderson, South Carolina, is charged with murder, four counts of aggravated assault, aggravated assault and violating the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. Scott was arrested on October 17, 2024.
• Destanne Mathis, 20, of Anderson, South Carolina, is charged with murder, commission of a felony and violating the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. Mathis was arrested on October 28, 2024.
• Aanidras Parks, 18, of Anderson, South Carolina, is charged with murder, four counts of aggravated assault, aggravated assault and violating the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. Parks was arrested on October 28, 2024.
• Jerimiyah Hughes, 19, of Anderson, South Carolina, is charged with murder, three counts of aggravated assault, aggravated assault and violating the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. Hughes was arrested on October 30, 2024.
• Desmond Latimer, 18, of Anderson, South Carolina, is charged with murder, commission of a felony and violating the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. Latimer was arrested on October 30, 2024.

On Sunday, October 13, 2024, the Elbert County Sheriff's Office requested the GBI to investigate a shooting that occurred just before midnight on October 12 that resulted in a homicide. The incident occurred on Evergreen Drive in Elberton, Elbert County, GA, at a homecoming dance afterparty for Elbert County High School students. In the shooting, a 15-year-old was killed, four people suffered gunshot wounds and three others suffered injuries related to the shooting.

All five people were booked into the Elbert County Jail.

This investigation is active and ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Elbert County Sheriff's Office at 706-283-2421 or the GBI Regional Investigations Office in Athens at 706-552-2309. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by phone at 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.

Once the investigation is complete, the file will be forwarded to the Northern Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office for prosecution.