SAVANNAH, Ga. — A police officer and his wife were found stabbed to death Monday in their coastal Georgia neighborhood, where investigators detained a teenager and charged him with felony murder in the slayings.
Police believe the 16-year-old suspect is the slain woman's brother and that he had been living with his sister and her husband, a Savannah police officer, Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley told a news conference.
He said the teenager was charged with two counts of felony murder.
"It's a rough day in Chatham County for law enforcement," Hadley said.
Chatham County Police investigating a death on Wilmington Island https://t.co/DsUG4Z6N56 pic.twitter.com/mGwPH9mFUs
— WJCL News (@WJCLNews) August 13, 2018
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Officers were called to the neighborhood on Wilmington Island, a few miles east of Savannah, at about 6:30 a.m. Monday, county police said in a news release. They found the slain officer dead at a neighbor's house, and his wife's body at their home next door. Both victims appeared to have been stabbed.
Investigators suspect both victims were attacked inside their home, Hadley said, and the officer died after fleeing next door to try to get help.
Investigators found the teen suspect at the scene and took him into custody for questioning. Hadley announced that he had been charged Monday afternoon, several hours after the bodies were discovered.
Police did not immediately release the names of the victims, saying relatives were still being notified.
Hadley declined to identify the suspect because he is a juvenile.
Asked if police were aware of any previous problems at the victims' home, Hadley said officers had responded to "some type of domestic situation" there several weeks ago. But he had no further details.
Associated Press
