Arrest made in ex-DeKalb football standout’s murder

Justin Devon Stephens

Justin Devon Stephens

The GBI arrested a man they say shot and killed a former DeKalb County high school football player at Savannah State University nearly three years ago.

Justin Devon Stephens, 23, faces a slew of charges, including felony murder, in the shooting death of Christopher Starks, GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles said in a news release.

Christopher Jamal Starks (Credit: WTOC-TV)

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Authorities arrested Stephens on Thursday, a day after he was indicted on 10 charges, including aggravated assault and firearm offenses, in connection with the Aug. 25, 2015 shooting. Stephens had been on the run since then.

Starks was in the Savannah State Student Union when he was shot, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported. Starks died at a local hospital.

He was 22.

Starks played football at Southwest DeKalb and Miller Grove high schools.

In 2016, Starks' family filed a lawsuit against the Board of Regents alleging they knew the university's campus had multiple crime incidents and did nothing to prevent them.

The GBI is asking anyone with information to contact its Statesboro office at 912-871-1121.

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