Hinesville police have made another arrest in the March 5 deaths of two Fort Stewart soldiers found in a Hinesville townhome.
Specialist Phillip E. Thompson was taken into custody late Thursday night by Fort Stewart Criminal Investigation Division agents and turned over to HPD, according to authorities.
Thompson, who is stationed on Fort Stewart, is charged with party to the crime of murder for allegedly intentionally helping Sgt. Shaquille D. Craig murder Spec. Marquez Brown and Private Malika Jackson. Craig was arrested March 9 for shooting the two soldiers, who were discovered shot to death March 5 in the townhome.
Hinesville Police Department Chief Detective Chris Reid, Thompson was taken into custody shortly after midnight Friday on Fort Stewart, then brought to HPD. Reid said Thompson had been a “person of interest” since Craig’s arrest.
Reid said interviews with witnesses and statements by Thompson led police to determine he had played a part in the murders, but the detective would not say whether Thompson was in the townhome when Brown and Jackson were killed, or if he was the person who called police Sunday and left an anonymous tip.
Thompson is accused of providing Craig with a ride to and from the crime scene. Thompson had a first appearance Friday morning before a magistrate. Police are still investigating the crime.