Hall County Murder Suspect Arrested at Augusta Motel One Week After Fatal Shooting

GAINESVILLE, Ga. – A Hall County man wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a woman in Oakwood has been arrested after a weeklong manhunt that ended at a motel in Augusta.

Antwane Sintell Thurmond, 45, of Oakwood, was taken into custody at approximately 4:10 p.m. Thursday, July 23, at the Motel 6 located at 3421 Wrightsboro Road.

According to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office, special operations personnel with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office surrounded the motel and arrested Thurmond without incident. He was the only person inside the motel room at the time of his arrest.

Thurmond had been sought since the July 16 shooting death of Tia Vidon Keith, 44, of Oakwood.

Hall County investigators were in Augusta when the arrest was made. The sheriff’s office credited multiple law enforcement agencies for assisting in the search, including the FBI Safe Streets Task Force in Gainesville, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and the Richmond County Gang Unit.

Authorities said Thurmond is being held at the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office. It was not immediately known whether he would face any charges in Richmond County before being transferred.

Investigators said Thurmond will be transported to the Hall County Jail as soon as possible, where he will face charges of Malice Murder, Felony Murder and Aggravated Assault under the Family Violence Act in connection with Keith’s death.