Local & State Headlines

Grand jury: Suspects beat Lee County man to death

• Prosecutors say a suspect in a murder case tried to light his coat on fire while being interviewed.

J.D. Sumner

ALBANY — In their last working day of the term, the Dougherty County grand jury indicted two Albany men for murder in connection with the Oct. 3 death of a man found floating in the Flint River.

Kasaem Toomer and Robert Lee Williams were both indicted Wednesday for murder, theft by taking and giving false statements stemming from the death of Justin Cox, who investigators found floating in the Flint River near the Turner Boat Landing after being beaten to death.

Toomer was indicted separately for felony murder, aggravated assault and arson; while Williams was handed down a separate count of concealing the death of another.

Toomer and Williams are believed to have killed Cox and dumped his body into the river before stealing his 1999 Cadillac DeVille, according to the indictment.

Court documents point solely to Toomer as the person who killed Cox by beating him repeatedly with his fists and “other objects which when used offensively are likely to cause serious bodily injury.”

Toomer was saddled with the arson count after he managed to light his coat on fire while being questioned at the law enforcement center, the indictment shows.

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