Man arrested for murder after BYU-Idaho grad is found dead in Georgia
Published at | Updated at
ROME, Georgia — A recent Brigham Young University-Idaho graduate was stabbed to death over the weekend in northwestern Georgia.
Aaron William Davis, 21, of Cumming, Georgia, died from multiple stab wounds, according to Floyd County Deputy Coroner Chris Giles.
Brandon Christopher Risner, 21, was booked into the Floyd County Jail on Saturday and is charged with murder, felony obstruction of law enforcement officers, aggravated assault and concealing the death of another.
The Rome-News Tribune reports police were notified of an abandoned car, and the investigation led to finding Davis’ body, which was taken to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime lab for an autopsy on Sunday. (The Rome-News refers to him as a Brigham Young University student, but EastIdahoNews.com could only confirm that he attended BYU-Idaho.)
Risner allegedly killed Davis in another location before moving his body to where it was found, according to CoosaValleyNews.com. Police told the website Risner ran from officers while they were trying to take him into custody.
“Most of you have heard by now that our son Aaron was savagely taken from us. We will always love him and miss him,” Randy Davis, Davis’ father, wrote in a Facebook post Monday. “We are still trying to make sense of this tragedy and why this happened. He was always a kid at heart but also so smart and embraced the adulthood that he needed to. He graduated from college in April, finished his internship this Summer, was so happy in having a girlfriend (and her family) that he truly loved, had just aced an entrance exam for his Master’s program the very last day that any of us had contact with him. We were so excited to see where his future was heading.”
Risner worked as a scare actor at a haunted house in Canton, Georgia, according to his social media pages. Four days ago he posted a video of himself singing and playing the guitar. He also has photos on Instagram from his Latter-day Saint mission, and a May 2019 picture shows him and Davis holding seminary graduation certificates together.
Risner is expected to appear in court on the charges this week.
EastIdahoNews.com reached out to the Floyd County sheriff and district attorney for further information, and our calls were not immediately returned.
“We will miss him forever. We trust through the atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ that we will see him again and he will always be part of our eternal family,” Randy Davis said.