A suspect has been arrested in the murder of Pure Food Mart owner Aslam Muhammad after five days of tireless investigation by the Newton County Sheriff's Office.
Corronis Hurst, 20, was arrested at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday and was charged with homicide, said NCSO Lt. Bill Watterson.
"We had a lot of team work between the GBI and the Newton County Investigations Unit on this one," Watterson said. "We would just like to thank everyone involved including the community. They provided us with a lot of useful information."
The arrest was based on a tip given by a member of the community who reportedly recognized
Hurst was arrested at his 4215 Mote Road home, which is located just a few miles away from the scene of the crime, Watterson said. He was wanted for probation violation.
The crime occurred at approximately 10:10 p.m. Friday night when Hurst allegedly entered the Pure Food Mart and robbed Muhammad, Watterson said. Security cameras reportedly caught Hurst grabbing money from the $1 and $5 trays of the cash register before shooting Muhammad in the face.
Watterson said the handgun used in the killing has yet to be located.
Muhammad was the second person murdered in the store in the last 10 years. Former owner Harry Hodge was murdered at the station on June 12, 1997. Three men were later arrested in connection with the killing and are currently in prison, Watterson said.
Hurst is currently housed at the Newton County Detention Center.
