A jury has convicted former UGA football player Ahkil Crumpton on all state charges in the murder of RaceTrac store clerk Elijah Wood.

According to the Oconee County Sheriff's Office, the verdict was returned Wednesday, convicting Crumpton 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. The court is expected to reconvene Thursday for sentencing.

Sheriff's officials called the verdict an important step toward accountability in Wood's murder, who was fatally shot at a RaceTrac gas station on Highway 441 in Oconee County in March 2021. 

"This verdict marks an important step toward accountability in a case that deeply impacted Elijah's family, friends, and our entire community," the sheriff's office said in a statement. "While no verdict can undo the heartbreaking loss suffered, we hope today's decision brings a measure of justice, closure, and peace as they continue to heal."

The conviction follows years of investigation and a prior federal case tied to Wood's death. In October 2023, a federal jury convicted Crumpton, a Philadelphia resident, on charges 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. Those convictions stemmed from the same underlying investigation into Wood's killing.

Federal prosecutors said Crumpton faces up to 20 years in prison for the attempted robbery charge and up to 10 years for the firearm charge. He is not eligible for parole. At the time, prosecutors noted Crumpton was also facing state murder charges in Georgia.

Investigators say the break in the state case came in early 2022 through forensic evidence. The sheriff's office said a shell casing recovered from the RaceTrac shooting was entered into the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network. The database produced a match to shell casings from a separate crime scene in Philadelphia.

That match prompted 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 U.S. Attorney's offices in Georgia and Pennsylvania. Authorities said investigators were able to link Crumpton, who had attended UGA until 2021 and played football there in 2017 and 2018, to both locations.

Sheriff's officials credited the guilty verdict to years of collaboration among local, state, and federal partners.

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