Second Teen Arrested in 2023 Murder of Manchester High School Student

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), with assistance from the Meriwether County Sheriff’s Office, has arrested a second suspect in connection with the December 2023 murder of 17-year-old Manchester High School student Brandon Smith.

Qua’vion Jakwon Cooper, 17, of Manchester, was arrested and charged with murder as a party to the crime. Cooper was booked into the Meriwether County Jail.

Investigators determined that Cooper aided and abetted 19-year-old A’darius Jashawn Williams in the shooting death of Smith on December 7, 2023, following an argument in Manchester. Williams had been arrested back in January 2024.

The investigation began after Smith was reported missing on December 9, 2023. The following day, a 911 caller reported a body behind a home on 3rd Avenue in Manchester. The body was later identified as Smith. The GBI was requested by Manchester Police to assist with the investigation, which led to the arrest of Williams, who was also charged with murder and booked into the Meriwether County Jail.

The case remains active and ongoing.