Trae Allen was 19 when he was found dead inside a Columbia, Georgia townhouse on May 21, 2007. He had sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the head; the house was the residence of 23-year-old Charles David Richardson IV. Allen had been visiting from Atlanta and was a close friend of Richardson’s younger brother, William Arin Richardson. Friends had warned Allen about associating with the Richardson brothers.

Investigators quickly focused on Charles Richardson, who was already a person of interest in a separate April 2007 killing of a 7-Eleven clerk, Alevtina Zhilina. Witnesses said Richardson had boasted about that clerk’s shooting. Several people gave statements linking Richardson to both deaths; one, Kenneth Wayne Sledd, admitted driving Richardson to a hideout and helping dispose of bloody clothing, and another said they heard Richardson discussing the murders on a bus. Richardson was found competent to stand trial and faced proceedings that could lead to life or death-penalty outcomes.

Anyone who knew Trae Allen, his movements in May 2007, or who has information about the Richardson brothers is asked to come forward.