As the search continues for the killer of an Oconee County gas station clerk back in March, a cold case criminal profiler is releasing new details on who the suspect might be.

Keith Howard, Chief Deputy with the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, has a background in criminal profiling with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and was brought in to assist the Oconee County Sheriff’ Office in the murder of 23-year-old Elijah Wood.

Wood was gunned down inside the RaceTrac gas station on Hwy 441 in Watkinsville in the early morning hours of March 19th.

So far, the investigation has turned up little on the killer, believed to be a light skinned black or Hispanic male in his late teens to early thirties.

Howard believes the suspect was not intent on killing Wood that night but shot Wood to death during a botched robbery attempt.

“We expect this offender to have similar crimes of inter-personal violence related to disorderly conduct, domestic violence, and assaults in his criminal history and will continue to commit these crimes until he is apprehended,” he says.

Howard says there is no evidence that points to any gang affiliation either.

“After the crime, this offender would most likely avoid social interactions and stay out of sight for a period of time or until he’s confident he will not be apprehended,” he says.

The suspect was dressed in all black, wearing yellow and black Battle Sport gloves, a hoodie, and a face mask, which covered all but a small portion of the face. He is 5′10″ – 6′0″ tall with an erect posture, athletic build, agile in his movements, dark eye color, and right-handed.

A $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.

A website decided to the case has been created at www.WhoKilledElijah.com.

Anyone with information on the murder or the suspect can call (706) 769-3945. Tips may also be left in the tips section on the website.

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