Jonesboro Man In Jail for Murder Charged Also for Roadway Killing After Months-Long Investigation

JONESBORO, Georgia – A months-long investigation into the death of a 50-year-old man found in a Jonesboro roadway has led to an arrest.

On Sunday, November 23, 2025, at about 3:00 a.m., Donald Eugene Kelly was discovered dead near the intersection of Fayetteville Road and Williamson Mill Road in Jonesboro, Georgia. At the request of the Jonesboro Police Department, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case.

After several months of investigative work, agents identified a suspect. On February 12, 2026, 24-year-old Royal McCollough III of Jonesboro was arrested and charged with Malice Murder, Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault, and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony in connection with Kelly’s death.

McCollough is currently being held at the Clayton County Jail and has been in custody since December 4, 2025.

McCollough is charged with Riot in a Penal Institution, Possession of a Firearm/Weapon During the Commission of a Crime, four counts of Murder, and Aggravated Assault.

Authorities say he is also accused of fatally shooting 29-year-old Yoqoubie Yarabough, an employee at the Live-In Lodge Extended Stay Hotel in the 8200 block of Tara Boulevard. According to Yarabough’s fiancé, he had been sent to a guest’s room to ask an individual to leave the property. The fiancé said the man refused to leave, and when Yarabough explained he was simply doing his job, the situation escalated. Yarabough was shot and killed.

Initially, two murders that occurred the same day were not believed to be connected. However, after further investigation, detectives developed enough evidence to link the cases and charge McCollough.