Man charged with murder in deaths of Roswell teens

ROSWELL, Ga. — Police arrested a 20-year-old man Wednesday for the murders of two teens in Roswell.

Jeffrey A. Hazelwood has been charged with two counts of murder for the deaths of Natalie Henderson and Carter Davis behind a Publix supermarket Monday morning. %

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Police say they believe Hazelwood acted alone and they are not releasing any information about a possible motive at this time.

They say surveillance video and evidence at the scene, along with cellphone communication and social media ,led them to Hazelwood. He was taken into custody and questioned Wednesday morning. He was then arrested, charged and booked into the Roswell Detention Center. He will be transferred from there to the Fulton County jail.

The chief of police would not say whether a murder weapon was recovered or if Hazelwood told them what happened.

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According to the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office, Henderson and Davis, both 17, died from a gunshot wound to the head and the manner of death in both cases was homicide.

Detectives say from the evidence they have at this time, they believe the teens were killed in the parking lot where their bodies were found.

Officers say Henderson and Davis were found lying beside their cars.

Police say the teens arrived at the shopping center between 2 and 4 a.m. Their parents told officers they thought the teens were still at home in bed.

Search warrant executed

Police executed a search warrant at a house in an East Cobb neighborhood Wednesday morning.

The house is located on Gilhams Road, off Mabry Road in Roswell.

Roswell police say they searched the home after receiving information about the case.

Investigators were at the house for more than three hours looking for evidence. Officers were seen walking out of the home with bags, but did not say what they found inside the home.

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"This is a very middle/upper-class neighborhood. So this is very alarming actually. Even to hear the news but to have this right around in our neighborhood is very surprising,” said neighbor Charlene Kurkjian.

The victims

Henderson was a student at Roswell High School and Davis was a student at River Ridge High School. Both were about to begin their senior years. %

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The families and friends of the teens described them as bright, generous and outstanding students.

Davis was a beloved lacrosse and football player with a big heart. Hundreds attended a vigil in his honor Tuesday night.

“He, in many ways, was like a coach on the field. In fact, we sometimes joked and called him Coach Carter,” lacrosse Coach Mike Britt said about Davis. "Our team is just devastated."

Henderson was an honor-roll student with a passion for music and a thirst for life.

"Our beautiful shining girl: Natalie, a rising senior at Roswell High School, was smart, funny, sassy, and strong, a free spirit with a gorgeous smile that could make your day or your week. She was a leader in the award-winning Color Guard of the Roswell High School Band, a life guard for Swim Atlanta, a talented singer, a guitar player, and a lover of animals who volunteered countless hours to animal rescue. Natalie had a loving heart and an infectious zest for life. Unusual for one so young, she had the courage to always be, unapologetically, herself. Natalie will forever be loved and missed by all whose lives she touched," Henderson's obituary reads.

Henderson's funeral will be held Friday at 10 a.m. at Roswell Presbyterian Church.

The suspect

Hazelwood, 20 , lived in Roswell with his grandparents.

He worked at Michaels in Roswell, but the manager there says he is no longer employed and referred Channel 2's Nefertiti Jaquez to the company's media relations line. We have not heard anything back from them.

One neighbor who's known Hazelwood since he was young says she couldn't believe Jeff was capable of hurting anyone.

"It's just hard to believe. I just don't picture Jeff doing that," she said.

She said he was always kind and sweet-hearted towards her.

"Quiet, polite and just a nice kid," she said.

Police have not released any sort of connection between Hazelwood and the victims.

Cox Media Group