Man Indicted in Killing of Postal Worker on Decatur Route

ATLANTA — A Decatur man has been federally indicted in the fatal shooting of a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier earlier this year, authorities announced.

Nahjel Malik Williams, 24, is charged with first-degree murder of a federal employee and using a firearm during a crime of violence in the death of Dequavious Graves, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Northern District of Georgia.

Graves, a letter carrier, was delivering mail along his route in Decatur on Feb. 12, 2026, when he was allegedly shot and killed. Prosecutors allege the killing was premeditated. At the time, Williams was also wanted on a warrant for an unrelated murder in Atlanta in August 2024.

A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Williams on May 5. Both charges carry the possibility of life in prison or the death penalty. The decision on whether to seek the death penalty will be made by the U.S. Attorney General.

“The murder of Dequavious Graves, a letter carrier dedicated to his public duty, friends, and family, was a senseless crime and a horrible tragedy,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg.

Rodney M. Hopkins, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, said the agency remains committed to protecting postal employees and pursuing those who harm them.

Williams is currently in local custody and is expected to be arraigned in federal court at a later date.

Officials emphasized that an indictment is not a conviction, and Williams is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

The case is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service with assistance from the Atlanta Police Department, DeKalb County Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Teresa M. Stolze and Matthew R. LaGrone are prosecuting the case.