The Atlanta police officer charged with murder waived his first court appearance Friday.
Hapeville police have charged 23-year old Tahreem Zeus Rana with murder, arson and kidnapping. They say he is suspect in the death of Vernicia Woodard. Her body was found along Elm Street in Hapeville August 22.
"He took her to a secluded area to do the crime and then, after killing her, used some kind of fuel to light her body on fire," said Hapeville police Detective Stephen Cushing.
The GBI was called in to help, and investigators say the body was lit on fire in an effort to destroy evidence.
Officers arrested Rana around 8:30 a.m. Thursday at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. They say he was headed to Monterey, Mexico, which may have been a stop on the way to India. Rana was on the no-fly list.
Hapeville Police Chief Richard Glavosek tells the AJC investigators linked Rana to the crime using the victim’s cellphone records. Police believe Rana may have used his service weapon to kill Woodard. The two apparently met on Craigslist.
Woodard leaves behind an 8-year-old daughter.
Personnel files say Rana has served with APD since 2011 and had never faced any disciplinary action. He was assigned to the crime suppression unit in southwest Atlanta. His record shows three car accidents, but nothing else.
Fellow officers described him as a hard-working cop.
Atlanta police told Channel 2 Action News, "We are shocked and saddened by these developments. The officer has been relieved from duty, and is in a non-enforcement status."
Rana grew up in Hapeville and one of the detectives involved in the case says he has known Rana since he was a kid. "I've been a police officer in city of Hapeville for 15 years and actually saw this young man grow up and heard him say, 'When I grow up, I want to be a police officer," Cushing said. "And then, later, to be the one that is actually investigating him in this case."
The victim's family spoke to Channel 2 Action News Thursday afternoon.
"Being someone who works in law enforcement, it hurts a lot more to know that it was somebody in law enforcement," said Woodard's sister, Tashara Gilyard.