In the late summer of 2022, the community of Americus, Georgia, was shaken by the violent death of 19-year-old Calvin Jerome Smith Jr. On Tuesday, August 9, 2022, the Americus Police Department requested the assistance of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in a death investigation that had been initiated. The young man, known to some by nicknames such as 'Moochie Man,' 'Duke,' or 'MoneyBagg,' had been lost to gun violence the previous day, August 8, 2022. He was remembered by acquaintances as being funny, smart, and very loving to people.
The investigation into the death of Calvin Smith Jr. progressed over the following weeks, culminating in a series of arrests. On Thursday, August 25, 2022, a multi-agency effort involving the GBI Americus Field Office, the Crisp County Sheriff's Office, the Americus Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force led to the capture of Charles Harvey Jr., age 23. Harvey was taken into custody in Cordele and was slated to be booked on charges of burglary and murder in connection with Smith's death.
The next day, two more suspects were apprehended in Americus by the Americus Police Department. Donta Walton, age 24, and Karmil Hamilton, also 24, were arrested and, like Harvey, faced charges of burglary and murder. Both Walton and Hamilton were booked into the Sumter County Law Enforcement Center. While these arrests marked a significant development in the case, authorities continued to encourage citizens with any additional information to come forward as the investigation remained ongoing.
