UPDATE: Arrest Made in "Murder Kroger" Killing

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Photo Credit: Georgia Department of Corrections

UPDATE: The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed to Patch that the Demarius Thompson who was arrested on Thursday in connection with the March 10 killing outside the “Murder Kroger” is the same man who was named below with a Fulton County jail record.

Sheriff’s office spokeswoman Tracy Flanagan confirmed the details with Atlanta police and learned that Thompson’s birthdate in the original APD release was incorrect; the new birthdate is consistent with available records for the “Damarius Thompson” recorded in the DeKalb County jail system and the Georgia Department of Corrections.

UPDATE: Atlanta police have released the following statement regarding the arrest of a suspect in the March 10 killing of a man outside a Midtown Kroger.

The Atlanta Police Fugitive unit along with members of the Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested Mr. Demarius Thompson [29] in the murder of Mr. Joshua Richey. Mr. Richey was shot and killed in the Kroger Grocery Store parking lot at 725 Ponce de Leon on March 10 after he attempted to stop the theft of his vehicle. Mr. Thompson was taken into custody without incident this afternoon while eating lunch. He was charged with homicide and will be transported to the Fulton County Jail.

Patch has asked Atlanta police if the man named below with arrests in Fulton and DeKalb counties is the same man who was arrested on Thursday for the killing at Kroger.

If you have information that can lead police to a second suspect in the killing, please contact Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta by calling 404-577-TIPS (8477), texting “CSA Tip” to CRIMES (274637), or by submitting a tip online. All tips can be made anonymously. Kroger is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to Richey’s killers.

ORIGINAL STORY: Atlanta police have arrested a man they believe took part in the killing of an Alabama man outside a Midtown Kroger earlier this month.

According to police, Demarius Thompson was taken into custody at approximately 1:15 p.m. Thursday and now faces murder charges for the death of Josh Richey. Richey was killed in an attempt to protect his work truck, which had been broken into inside the parking lot of the infamous “Murder Kroger” on Ponce de Leon Avenue.

Police believe Thompson was trying to steal Richey’s truck or steal tools out of the truck when he was interrupted by Richey. A second suspect is still being sought by police.

More Crime News From Midtown Patch:

• Woman Shot in Back in Midtown: Police
• Atlanta Water Department Employees Arrested in Theft Investigation
• Tipsters Help Catch Midtown Bank Robbery Suspect

A police spokesman said that Thompson had been out of jail for only three days before participating in the March 10 killing.

Fulton County jail records show a Damarius Thompson as a frequent guest inside the jail; his arrest record spans from 2008 to 2014 and includes charges such as obstruction, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, battery, and burglary.

DeKalb County jail records show arrests for a Damarius Thompson between 2007 and 2012 for reckless driving, possession of tools for the commission of a crime, theft by receiving stolen property, and several failure to appear arrests.

Georgia Department of Corrections records show that a Damarius Thompson has done two stints in state prison for aggravated stalking, terroristic threats and actions, and theft by receiving stolen property.

If you have information that can lead police to the second suspect in Richey’s murder, please contact Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta by calling 404-577-TIPS (8477), texting “CSA Tip” to CRIMES (274637), or by submitting a tip online. All tips can be made anonymously. Kroger is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to Richey’s killers.