An Alabama high school principal was among four suspects arrested in connection with a triple murder that occurred a decade ago in Georgia, authorities said Friday.
Keante Harris, 45, was arrested on three counts of intentional murder without incident in connection with the killings that occurred in Union City, Ga., in January 2013, Clayton County police said.
Harris is an assistant principal at McAdory Middle School in Jefferson County, Alabama, and was placed on administrative leave after his arrest, WBMA-TV reported.
Investigators began working on the case 11 years ago when a Union City police patrol spotted an abandoned 2010 Dodge Charger near Interstate 85.
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Keante Harris, 45, was arrested without incident last week on three counts of intentional murder. (Jefferson County Sheriff's Office)
Officers found three dead bodies inside the vehicle and investigators determined that all three victims had been tortured and murdered in Clayton County before being abandoned in Fulton County.
The victims were identified as Quinones King, 33, Rodney Cottrell, 43, and Cheryl Colquitt-Thompson, 32.
The Fulton County medical examiner's office said King and Cottrell were found dead of asphyxiation in the back seat of the Dodge Charger, while Colquitt-Thompson was found dead of strangulation in the trunk of the car, reported FOX5 Atlanta.
Harris is an assistant principal at McAdory Middle School in Jefferson County, Alabama. The school district said Friday that Harris had been placed on administrative leave. (Google Maps)
The victims were lured to a residence on Magnolia Drive in Jonesboro, Georgia, where they were forced inside at gunpoint, according to police. The victims were then loaded into the back of the Dodge Charger and driven to Fulton County, where their bodies were dumped.
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Three other men identified as Kevin Harris, Kenneth Thompson and Darrell Harris were also arrested without incident and charged each with three counts of intentional murder.
The four men were arrested in three states. It was unclear whether the three Harrises were related.
Keantre Harris, Kevin Harris, Kenneth Thompson and Darrell Harris were all arrested without incident and charged with three counts each of intentional murder. (Clayton County Police Department)
The Jefferson County School District released a statement Friday saying it was aware of the arrest of Keante Harris, who has been placed on administrative leave.
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“At this time, we are still gathering facts on the specifics of this situation,” said the statement obtained by WBMA-TV. “However, initial indications are that the charges are not related to this individual’s employment in Jefferson County Schools.”