Qua’vion Jakwon Cooper, a 17-year-old from Manchester, Georgia, was arrested on May 1, 2025, approximately one year and five months later.
He was charged with his role in the 2023 murder of Brandon Smith, a 17-year-old Manchester High School football player.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), with assistance from the Meriwether County Sheriff’s Office, charged Cooper with murder as a party to the crime.
They alleged he aided and abetted A’darious Jashawn Williams, who shot and killed Smith on December 7, 2023, after an argument.
Williams, 19 at the time of his arrest, was taken into custody in January 2024 and charged with murder.
Smith was reported missing on December 7, and his body was discovered on December 10 behind a home on 3rd Avenue in Manchester, Georgia.
Cooper, a teammate of Smith’s, played in the team’s state championship game the next day, scoring a touchdown and leading in tackles and rushing yards.
Williams pleaded guilty on May 6, 2025, and was sentenced to life with parole possible after 30 years.
Qua’vion Jakwon Cooper And Brandon Smith Were Teammates!
Qua’vion Jakwon Cooper attended Manchester High School in Georgia and played football as a running back and linebacker for the Manchester Blue Devils.
In the state championship game, he led the team in tackles and rushing yards and even scored a touchdown.
Cooper and Brandon Smith were teammates on the Manchester High School football team.
Just days after Smith was killed, Copper played in the state championship game. He scored a touchdown in that game and led the team in tackles and rushing yards.
His involvement in the crime was shocking because he was Smith’s teammate. He even participated in a championship game honoring Smith after his death.
His arrest has deeply affected the community, especially Smith’s family, who expressed their grief over the betrayal.
Smith’s grandmother, Maxcine Smith, expressed her grief and shock over Cooper’s involvement, stating that her grandson once considered him a friend.
She recalled how her daughter went to Cooper’s house during the search for Brandon, saying:
My daughter went to his house and asked him, has he seen my grandson, and he looked my daughter in the face and lied to her,” she recalled, referring to 17-year-old Qua’vion “Qua” Jakwon Cooper.
Cooper is currently detained at the Meriwether County Jail, and the case is under investigation.
Authorities continue to gather evidence, and the reason for the argument is unclear.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Brandon Smith played as a defensive lineman for the Manchester Blue Devils.
- A’darious Jashawn Williams was a graduate of Manchester High School, where Brandon Smith attended.
