Columbus man charged in malice murder, aggravated assault in October incident on Blan Street
Homicide investigators have arrested a suspect after a homicide case in October of this year in Oakland Park.
Michael Edward Simmons, according to court records, was booked on November 4, 2022, on murder, malice murder, and aggravated assault. The offense occurred on October 13, 2022.
The homicide occurred at a home on Blan Street in Columbus. Muscogee County Deputy Coroner Elizabeth Allison was called to the home on Blan Street at 6:33 A.M. on October 19, 2022, where she found a 55-year-old male, identified as Christopher Williams, lying face down in the bedroom. Williams was pronounced deceased at 7:10 A.M. Allison found slight bruising and a laceration on Williams’ head. No other signs of visible trauma were found after the examination on the scene.
Williams sustained those injuries after he was involved in a verbal confrontation between Simmons. During the confrontation, Simmons allegedly struck Williams in the left side of his temple, leaving Williams unconscious for two to three minutes. Simmons repeatedly struck Williams while he was unconscious. After that, Simmons left the scene and Williams became conscious and alert.
Williams declined to file a police report or receive medical attention. Williams, from October 14, 2022, until October 18, 2022, suffered a migraine along with intermittent vomiting.
Muscogee County Deputy Coroner Elizabeth Allison sent him for an autopsy due to the injuries sustained and the fact he was experiencing intermittent vomiting for close to a week, along with what witnesses told Allison. She then spoke with homicide detectives which led to the beginning of their investigation. Allison was contacted by Georgia Bureau of Investigations Medical Examiners Office regarding the autopsy being complete, which the medical examiner ruled homicide due to blunt force trauma injuries to head and assault by other. Allison notified homicide investigators of the medical examiners ruling which led to investigators obtaining an arrest warrant for Simmons.
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