Atlanta cop to appear in court on murder charges

HAPEVILLE, Ga.--An Atlanta police officer charged in the slaying of a 26-year-old woman he on the website Craigslist is facing his first court appearance Friday morning, reports CBS46.

The Hapeville Police Department issued arrest warrants for Tahreem Zeus Rana on the charges of murder, arson and kidnapping. He was arrested around 9 a.m. Thursday at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport attempting to get on a flight to Mexico.

On Aug. 22, a Hapeville city employee found the body of a woman on fire at the end of Elm Street.

Police said the woman, Vernicia Woodard, 26, was shot multiple times and set on fire.

"First he took her to a secluded area to do the crime and then after killing her, he used some kind of fuel to light the body on fire in order to cover up any type of evidence that may be there," said Detective Stephen Cushing.

Hapeville police said Rana and Woodard met on Craigslist for a "romantic exchange" and the night she was killed was the first time they had met in person.

CBS 46 reports that Rana was questioned Wednesday by police. Later in the day evidence at the scene and Internet correspondence led them to consider him a suspect, but police couldn't find him.

Rana is currently employed by the City of Atlanta Police Department as a police officer. He was supposed to go to work Wednesday night but never showed up.

Police reportedly put Rana on the no-fly list, let him get through security to ensure he was not armed, then moved in to arrest him.

Rana grew up in Hapeville. Officers there said they knew his family.

"It's very saddening to many of the people here," said Cushing. "Officers actually remember him walking to school here as a young boy, saying, 'When I grow up I want to be a police officer.' It's very disheartening to see somebody you grew up with, seeing a young boy change his life and go this route."

Woodard had just moved to Atlanta from New York. She does have some family in the area.

Police have not said what might have led to her death.