NFL hopeful from Philly convicted in case tied to Georgia man’s shooting death

A onetime NFL hopeful from Philadelphia is facing decades in federal prison after he was convicted Wednesday of a robbery that resulted in the shooting death of a Georgia convenience store clerk.

The charges against Ahkil “Crump” Crumpton — a former all-state and all-Catholic wide receiver for West Catholic High School who went on to play two seasons for the University of Georgia — stemmed from the March 2021 slaying of Elijah Wood, 23, who was working the register at a RaceTrac gas station outside Athens, Ga., when Crumpton shot him with an illegally purchased gun.

Agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives linked Crumpton, 26, to the crime after the football standout used the same weapon to defend himself from a carjacking attempt four months later outside the South Street Diner in Queen Village that ended with his attacker dead.

» READ MORE: Philly’s Ahkil Crumpton was on a mission to make it in pro football. Then came the murder charges.

Though investigators have accused Crumpton of both homicides, he only faced counts of robbery and making false statements during the purchase of a firearm in the trial that wrapped up Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Georgia.

Crumpton is facing a separate trial on state murder charges tied to Wood’s death next year.

Philadelphia police ruled the July 2021 shooting outside of the diner a “justifiable homicide” and prosecutors here have said that all court records relating to that incident have been expunged.

“No matter today’s outcome, there is no returning Elijah Wood to his family and friends, who have had to endure both the pain of his loss and many unanswered questions,” said Peter D. Leary, U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, in a statement responding to Crumpton’s conviction Wednesday. “Pursuing justice in this case was challenging and lengthy … I hope that today’s verdict offers some measure of justice for Elijah Wood’s family.”

Crumpton’s attorney, federal public defender Timothy Saviello, did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.

Raised in West Philadelphia, Crumpton made a name for himself during his time at West Catholic Prep, helping the team win three straight Catholic League Titles. He moved to California after graduation to play for Los Angeles Valley College before transferring to UGA, where he was a member of the school’s team for its 2017 and 2018 seasons.

Though friends and former teammates told The Inquirer in April that Crumpton had always aspired to go pro, his dreams were derailed after NFL teams expressed little interest.

According to testimony at his trial, Crumpton obtained the Glock 19 pistol used in both shootings from a tattoo artist in Georgia, who purchased the gun illegally for him.

And on March 19, 2021, Crumpton barged into the RaceTrac gas station in Watkinsville, Ga., pointed the gun at Wood and fired.

While Wood died at the scene, Crumpton fled back to the apartment he was sharing at the time with his UGA teammate Juwan Taylor. Taylor testified at the trial that Crumpton arrived — still holding the gun — and insisting that the shooting was an accident.

“I didn’t mean to do it. I just wanted the money,” Taylor recalled Crumpton saying, according to a prosecution summary of his testimony. “The gun just went off.”

Taylor told jurors he never reported that interaction with Crumpton to police because he was concerned for his own safety.

It wasn’t until four months later — after Crumpton had left UGA without graduating and moved back to Philadelphia — and after the shooting outside the South Street Diner that investigators were able to link Crumpton to Wood’s death.

Philadelphia police have said Crumpton fired 13 shots, hitting and killing Anthony Jones on July 17, 2021, after Jones attempted to carjack him.

Ballistics analysis of the casings from that shooting identified the gun that fired those shots as the same one used to shoot Wood.

ATF agents arrested Crumpton at his West Philadelphia apartment in March 2022, after he jumped out his bedroom window in an attempt to escape.

They found the Glock used in both shootings stuffed inside Crumpton’s 2018 Rose Bowl game backpack as well as a loaded AR-15, prosecutors said.

Crumpton has remained in federal custody in Georgia ever since and now faces up to 20 years in prison on the most serious count on which he was convicted at a hearing scheduled for January.