The murder of Morris Harden Jr., a 58-year-old Augusta, Georgia man whose body was found on the side of Watkins Pond Road in Burke County on July 10, 2022, led to charges against five men from the Augusta area. Investigators determined Harden was shot inside a home on Ninth Avenue in Augusta and that his body was then driven across the county line and left on a rural roadside in McBean.1Augusta Chronicle. Burke County Murder Arrests: Augusta Men Charged in Shooting of Morris Harden Jr.
What Happened to Morris Harden Jr.
Harden lived on Dyer Street in Augusta and had no apparent ties to Burke County, which is what first told investigators his body had been moved. The Burke County Sheriff’s Office led the case and traced the shooting back to a house on Ninth Avenue in Augusta, in neighboring Richmond County. After the killing, his body was transported and dumped on Watkins Pond Road, where it was discovered on July 10, 2022.2WRDW. New Arrest Made in Burke County Murder of Augusta Man
The Five Men Charged
Three arrests were made on July 10, 2022, the same day Harden’s body was found, though the Burke County Sheriff’s Office did not announce them publicly until August 2, 2022. Two more arrests followed over the next several weeks.
- Willie Warren Johnson, 51, of Augusta — charged with murder, kidnapping, and tampering with evidence.1Augusta Chronicle. Burke County Murder Arrests: Augusta Men Charged in Shooting of Morris Harden Jr.
- Carl Grady Rouse, 61, of Augusta — charged with murder, kidnapping, and tampering with evidence.
- Albert Killebrew III, of Augusta — charged with murder and two weapons offenses. He was already being held in Richmond County on unrelated charges when the announcement was made.
- Ramando Cartrellis Moore, 38, of Grovetown, Georgia — arrested August 11, 2022, by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and charged with murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.3WJBF. Grovetown Man Arrested Involving Murder of Morris Harden Jr., Investigation Ongoing
- Ramando C. Williams, 18, of Augusta — arrested by early September 2022 and charged with murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.2WRDW. New Arrest Made in Burke County Murder of Augusta Man
The kidnapping and evidence-tampering counts against Johnson and Rouse reflect the investigators’ finding that Harden was killed in Augusta and his body then moved to Burke County in an apparent effort to conceal the crime.
Where the Case Stands
When the fifth arrest was announced in September 2022, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation was still open and that further arrests were possible.2WRDW. New Arrest Made in Burke County Murder of Augusta Man The available reporting does not state a motive for the shooting and does not indicate whether any of the five defendants have gone to trial.