Williams Pleads Guilty in Brandon Smith Murder Case

By JOHN KUYKENDALL
On Tuesday, May 6, A’darius Jashawn Williams, 20 of Manchester, entered a guilty plea in Meriwether County Superior Court in the Brandon Smith murder case.
According to District Attorney John H. Cranford, Jr., Williams pleaded guilty to malice murder for shooting and killing Smith on Dec. 7, 2023. Coweta Judicial Circuit
“Superior Court Judge Travis Sakrison sentenced Williams to life, with the possibility of parole, which means Williams will be parole eligible after serving 30 years in the Georgia Department of Corrections,” Cranford wrote in a press release.
“Williams’ case was scheduled for a jury trial on the May 5 trial calendar, and he entered this plea in lieu of proceeding to trial.”
The press release by the District Attorney’s Office noted, the case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant DA Tim Marlow and the case was investigated by GBI Agent Jeff Hatchett, with the assistance of the Manchester Police Department, the Meriwether Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI.
“Had the case proceeded to trial, the evidence would have shown the following Cranford wrote:
“At the time of his murder in December 2023, Brandon Smith was 17 years old and attending Manchester High School. He was a member of the school’s Blue Devils football team, which was set to play in the State High School Championship Football Game on Dec. 11, 2023. Smith’s body was found on Dec. 10, 2023, the day before the championship game.
“The evidence shows that Williams murdered Smith because Williams perceived Smith to have disrespected him days prior by taking a gun from Williams’ person. To settle that score, Williams waited outside of a residence for Smith to leave, ambushed him, chased him down, and shot him.
“From a different residence, the GBI investigation recovered the murder weapon, which the GBI matched to the crime scene ballistics and which witnesses identified as belonging to Williams.
“Williams gave law enforcement an alibi for the time of the crime but surveillance footage and his cell phone’s location data showed that he was in the area of the murder at the time witnesses heard gun fire in the area where Smith’s body was found. Text message evidence taken from Williams’ phone was also incriminating of Williams being the shooter. Additionally, the State was prepared to call witnesses who told the GBI that Williams told them that he murdered Smith.
“This is another tragic case involving the murder of a teenager by another young person. The murder of Brandon Smith is not the only such case in Meriwether County or the other counties of the Coweta Judicial Circuit or the rest of the State of Georgia.
“Williams and Smith hung out in the same crowd and Williams was a recent graduate of Manchester High School, where Smith attended. It is incomprehensible that Williams would murder Brandon Smith. Although the District Attorney’s cannot understand why young people continue to shoot at and murder each other in our communities, our office will do all we can to protect the innocent by bringing killers to justice and sending them to prison for decades.”
On Thursday, May 1, 2025 a 17-year-old Manchester resident was also charged in the Smith murder case.
According to a Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) press release issued on May 1, the GBI, with the assistance of the Meriwether County Sheriff’s Office, arrested and charged Qua’vion Jakwon Cooper, 17, of Manchester in the case, as a party to the crime for his role in the shooting death of Smith.
According to the GBI press release, during the course of the investigation, it was determined that Cooper aided and abetted Williams, who killed Smith.
Cooper was a teammate of Smith’s on the Manchester High football team.
The Star-Mercury Vindicator spoke with Meriwether County School Superintendent Dr. Robert Griffin about the arrest of Cooper.
“We are aware of the two arrests in connection with the tragic death of Brandon Smith in 2023,” Dr. Griffin said.
“This is a deeply difficult moment for many in our community, and our hearts remain with Brandon’s family, friends, and teammates as they continue to grieve this loss.
“We are fully cooperating with law enforcement officials as they lead the investigation. The safety, well-being, and emotional support of our students, at Manchester High School and across Meriwether County Schools, remains our highest priority. We are committed to providing a safe and caring environment for all.”