Former University of Georgia football player Ahkil Crumpton has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of RaceTrac store clerk Elijah Wood.

According to the Oconee County Sheriff's Office, a judge sentenced Crumpton on Thursday morning after a jury convicted him the day before on all state charges tied to Wood's killing. In addition to the life sentence for murder, Crumpton was sentenced to five years in prison on another charge, to be served concurrently.

Crumpton has already been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison in a separate case connected to the same investigation. Officials said the federal sentence will run at the same time as his state sentence.

At the conclusion of Thursday's sentencing hearing, Crumpton announced his intention to appeal the conviction.

The jury found Crumpton guilty Wednesday of two counts of felony murder, attempted armed robbery, aggravated assault, and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Authorities said the charges stem from the March 2021 shooting death of Wood at a RaceTrac gas station along Highway 441 in Oconee County.

Sheriff's officials called the sentence a major step toward justice in a case that deeply affected Wood's family and the community.

"This verdict and sentence mark an important step toward accountability," the sheriff's office said in a statement. "While no outcome can undo the heartbreaking loss suffered, we hope today brings a measure of justice, closure, and peace as they continue to heal."

The state case followed years of investigation and a prior federal conviction. In October 2023, a federal jury found Crumpton, a Philadelphia resident, guilty of interference with commerce by attempted robbery and making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Georgia.

Investigators said the break in the case came in early 2022, when forensic evidence linked the Georgia shooting to a separate crime scene in Philadelphia. Authorities said shell casings recovered from the RaceTrac shooting were entered into the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, which produced a ballistic match.

That discovery led to a joint investigation involving the Oconee County Sheriff's Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, the Philadelphia Police Department, and federal prosecutors in Georgia and Pennsylvania. Investigators were able to connect Crumpton, who attended UGA until 2021 and played football for the school in 2017 and 2018, to both locations.

Sheriff's officials credited the conviction and sentencing to years of coordination among local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.

"This conviction reflects the tireless work, dedication, and cooperation of law enforcement investigators and prosecutors," the sheriff's office said.