It has been over 10 years since the bodies of 20-year-old Jeramie Hammonds and 19-year-old Kayla Wells were found in a wooded area off of Glenn Hills Drive, and new information points to the possibility that the double homicide may be linked to other murders.
On July 5, 2010, ATV riders who were exploring trails in a forest off of Glenn Hills Drive happened upon a gruesome scene. One of the ATV riders, who wishes to remain anonymous, stated that he found the bodies, identified as Hammonds and Wells, and their bodies were riddled with bullets. According to the ATV rider, the two individuals found were unfamiliar in the neighborhood.
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Some neighbors reported to have heard multiple gunshots the night before, but they all chalked the noise up to people celebrating the 4th of July with fireworks.
At first, investigators looked at Wells as being the primary intended target because both of her parents had recently died. Their deaths were just months apart. However, authorities determined that both parents had died of natural or medical causes.
Because Hammonds’ car was found parked in his driveway on Greystone Drive, which is miles away from where the bodies were found, and with no abandoned vehicle found at the crime scene, it appeared that the victims knew the person or persons that executed them.
One clue that emerged was that Hammonds was known to sport a “211” tattoo. That particular piece of ink may refer to the “Crips” gang that operates in south Richmond and Burke Counties.
However, Hammonds only had one charge of minor possession of marijuana in his past and, according to The Jail Report records, that charge was dropped. There is no indication that Wells or Hammonds were criminals, despite his gang-related tattoo.
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The average citizen may not know that south Richmond County and sleepy Burke County have a gang problem, but according to Burke County Sheriff Alfonso Williams, gangs are a particular problem in the largely rural county. Williams says that gang members outnumber his deputies almost three to one.
“These people are not just petty criminals—they are vicious and they are constantly recruiting new members, even children,” Sheriff Williams said.
In May of 2020, Augusta/Richmond County Sheriff Richard Roundtree held a press conference where he announced that a two year investigation by multiple police agencies had culminated in the arrest of 23 individuals who were known gang members.
That investigation alone also netted $27,000 in cash, 17 pounds of marijuana, 22 grams of the drug MDMA and various amounts of cocaine.
As The Augusta Press investigation of unsolved murders has unfolded, reporters received information from an individual who cannot be named because they may be in danger. That individual has information that seems to connect two or more seemingly unrelated murder cases.
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Most importantly, that information has not been released publicly, and details are only known to law enforcement and the killer or killers.
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Other information gathered thus far for this story points in a direction that could suggest to a reasonable person that the murders of Brandon Grubbs, Louis “Pops” Grubbs, Kayla Wells and Jeramie Hammonds are related.
If you have information on any of these crimes, please contact the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office at (706) 821-1020 or The Augusta Press at (706) 834-8677.
Scott Hudson is the Editorial Page Editor of The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com. Anna Porzio is a correspondent with The Augusta Press. Reach her at anna@theaugustapress.com.
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