On the evening of December 8, 2022, in Blairsville, Georgia, 38-year-old Eric James Heritage was shot to death inside a residence on Fortenberry Road. Union County 911 received an open line call around 7:20 p.m. with screaming in the background. Deputies arriving found Wade Allen Huffman, 32, waiting on the front steps; he was taken into custody on outstanding warrants for failing to register as a sex offender. Deputies located Heritage inside the home and attempted life-saving measures, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called to lead the homicide inquiry.

Investigators say Huffman had been released from prison about three months earlier and had a 2010 Ohio conviction for unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. A day before the shooting a woman reported Huffman had acted inappropriately with her underage child and asked him to leave; authorities believe he returned the next evening, leading to the fatal confrontation. In January 2023 a grand jury indicted Huffman on 13 counts including malice murder, two counts of felony murder, home invasion, first-degree burglary, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and multiple child sex offenses.

Did anyone in the area know Heritage or have information about the events at the Fortenberry Road residence?