Fire that destroyed car connected to fatal hit-and-run in Murray County declared arson

Sep. 17--A fire that destroyed a vehicle found at the home of a Crandall man who is charged with two counts of felony murder for a hit-and-run on July 29 in Murray County has been declared arson.

"The State Fire Investigations Unit was contacted by the GBI (Georgia Bureau of Investigation) after the Murray County Sheriff's Office discovered a vehicle that was totally destroyed by the fire," said Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King in a press release. "Our investigators discovered that the fire originated in the back seat and that the cause of the fire was incendiary."

Anthony Leon "Tony" Brown was charged in August by the Murray County Sheriff's Office with two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault with a vehicle and second-degree arson in connection with the hit-and-run that killed Tommy Nickels, 19, and his wife Kristen, 20. They also lived in Crandall. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

Asked if the insurance commissioner's ruling could lead to additional charges against Brown, District Attorney Bert Poston said he is limited in what he can say because there is a pending criminal case.

"We're trying to get our grand juries in each county back up and running and that should happen next month," Poston said. "When we draft an indictment we'll decide about what charges to include."

Under an emergency order issued by Supreme Court of Georgia Chief Justice Harold Melton to reduce the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19), many in-person court functions across the state have been on hold since April. Melton said last week that state court judges could begin calling grand juries to consider indictments.

The incident happened at 7:17 p.m. on Highway 411/State Route 61 near Hooker Road near Crandall, according to a Georgia State Patrol report. Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Jimmy Davenport said this week the incident is still under investigation and there was no new information on whether there was a connection between Brown and the couple and what his motive was.

The State Patrol report states a 2007 Ford Mustang was driven by Tommy Nickels. Kristen Nickels was a passenger. A witness said a silver sedan "approached the Mustang from the rear and started striking the rear portion of the Mustang. She stated both vehicles then struck one another multiple times after the initial contact. She stated the roadway turned (into) a two lane with a continuous center turn lane. She stated the silver sedan moved to the right side of the Mustang and struck his vehicle on the right side, causing it to leave the roadway and crash."

The report states the Mustang "traveled off the west side of the roadway, while rotating counterclockwise." It overturned on its passengers side and struck a tree "with the top of the vehicle's passenger compartment." It finally "landed upright facing north after impact with the tree." Debris from the vehicle struck a nearby mobile home.

The witness said the sedan hit its brakes at a gas station just past the crash site and then left. She said the driver "appeared to be a white male with short dark hair."

A press release from the sheriff's office states that on Aug. 4, sheriff's office Capt. Tim Bell, Davenport and state Trooper Stephen Langham went to Brown's home. After a "short foot pursuit," Brown was "taken into custody and the burned remains of (a) 2006 Suzuki Reno was located behind the residence."

The State Patrol report states multiple video cameras in the area showed what appeared to be a silver Chevrolet Optra, which is a four-door hatchback, traveling north on Highway 411/State Route 61 after the wreck. The report states a trooper contacted the witness and asked her to look up that make and model and she said it looked "like the type of vehicle" that struck the Mustang.

Davenport said all of the information the sheriff's office had pointed to a Suzuki Reno.

___

(c)2020 The Daily Citizen (Dalton, Ga.)

Visit The Daily Citizen (Dalton, Ga.) at daltondailycitizen.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.