Michael Everidge was indicted this week in the November beating death of an inmate at an Augusta, Ga. youth detention center. The Richmond County District Attorney brought felony murder charges against 17-year-old Everidge for the death of 19-year-old Jade Holder. Everidge was charged as an adult.
The Department of Juvenile Justice and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation launched a joint investigation in November after Holder was beaten in his cell at the YDC. He died in the hospital the next day. An autopsy revealed the cause of death as blunt force trauma to the head.
In a statement released Thursday, DOJ Commissioner Gale Buckner praised the efforts of the investigators.
"We thank the GBI for their unparalleled cooperation and the level of expertise they have brought to the field to help expedite this death investigation at DJJ's Augusta Youth Development Campus,” Buckner said.
Buckner also thanked the Richmond County DA.
“The Department of Juvenile Justice also commends the Richmond County District Attorney's Office,” she said, “for coordinating the results of this intensive investigation to a conclusion resulting in an indictment to bring justice to the murder of 19-year-old Jade Holder."
The joint investigation at the troubled Augusta Youth Development Campus has also lead to the firing of at least a dozen employees.