Destiney Hope Kight and Charles “C.J.” Garrett.Photo: Go Fund Me
Georgia couple Destiney Hope Kight and Charles “C.J.” Garrett were young and in love and looking forward to their future together.
“The smile, the look in their eyes, you know they loved one another,“Kight’s father, Will Newsome, told 13WMAZ.
Their dreams of a long, happy life together were shattered on April 23 when police found their bodies outside of a home on Paul Lord Road near Wrightsville, dead from apparent gunshot wounds.
The couple, both 18, had planned to move into the home where they’d been shot, 13WMAZ reports.
On Friday, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office announced at a press conference that Daniel Payton Brinson, 22, of Harrison, in Washington County, had been arrested in connection with the deaths of the two teens.
Daniel Peyton Brinson.Cobb County Sheriff’s Office
“We have charged him with two counts of malice murder,” Johnson County Sheriff Greg Rowland said.
Rowland would not disclose any other details of the case including a possible motive, 13WMAZ reports.
On Wednesday, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation had secured arrest warrants for Brinson for the two counts of malice murder.
“The investigation revealed that Brinson was a known associate of Garrett,” the GBI says in a release.
The charges include possession of drugs with intent to distribute and purchase, possession, manufacture, distribution or sale of marijuana, according to online jail records.
He remains held at the Cobb County Jail.
He has not entered a plea. It is unclear whether he has retained an attorney who can speak on his behalf.
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As police continue to investigate, the couple’s families are in complete disbelief that the teens are gone.
“It’s been very difficult to try toplan an 18-year-old’s funeral,“Garrett’s aunt, Magen Douglas, told 13WMAZ.
“Our emotions [are] of laughing, remembering something stupid he did, to crying, to being angry at the ones that were involved in this tragedy,” she told 13WMAZ. “Our emotions have just been, for lack of a better word, all over the place.”
Garrett, she told the outlet, “was very generous. He would give the shirt off his back to help somebody out. He was just a joy to have in our lives.”
Garrett’s uncle, Chad Garrett, lost more than just a nephew. “He was like my own child, he was more like my son,” he told 13WMAZ. “We were very close.”
Kight was a cheerleader in high school who “enjoyed pageants, makeup, TikTok videos, and riding with Iron Legacy Motorcycle Club,” her obituary reads. “She loved people and making others smile. She touched many lives and will be missed.”
AGoFundMehas been set up to help their families defray funeral expenses.
Kight’s mother said the suspect has been a friend of the family for about 10 years and often visited their home.
Kight’s mother, Tosha Newsome, told 13WMAZ that she and her family had known Brinson for about ten years and that he had often come to their house.
“When I actually got confirmation that it was him, it was a shock,” she told the outlet. “I couldn’t believe someone so close to the family could be the cause of us not having her anymore.”
“We just want to know why,” she told 13WMAZ. “We want to know what was so important that it took not only my child’s life, but also CJ’s.”
source: people.com
