Crime

Inmate charged with murder in stabbing death of Bibb deputy as new details emerge

An inmate at the Bibb County jail who allegedly stabbed a sheriff’s deputy to death during a struggle inside the jail early Tuesday was charged with murder and other violent crimes on Wednesday, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.

The inmate, 22-year-old Albert Dewitt Booze, who had been held at the Oglethorpe Street lockup in downtown Macon since November, faces charges that include malice murder, felony murder and four counts of aggravated assault.

He is accused of killing deputy Christopher Wilson Knight, 30, after Knight and other deputies escorted Booze to an observation cell in a part of the jail sometimes used to house inmates on “suicide watch.”

Booze had earlier in the night clogged a toilet in his cell, flooded his cell and splashed the water on deputies, the GBI said in a statement announcing the charges against Booze.

“At some point during the (deputies’) contact with Booze, he indicated he wanted to commit suicide. Other deputies were requested to assist with the removal of Booze from the cell,” the statement said “Booze was handcuffed in the front (of his body) by deputies and walked to another cell for observation at approximately 2:26 a.m.”

The statement said that upon arrival at the observation cell, “deputies removed the handcuffs from Booze and a fight ensued between deputies and Booze. During the fight, Booze was able to obtain a knife owned by Deputy Knight and stabbed him.”

This story was originally published April 7, 2021 at 5:28 PM.

Joe Kovac Jr.
The Telegraph
Joe Kovac Jr. writes about local news and features for The Telegraph, with an eye for human-interest stories. Joe is a Warner Robins native and graduate of Warner Robins High. He joined the Telegraph in 1991 after graduating from the University of Georgia. As a Pulliam Fellowship recipient in 1991, Joe worked for the Indianapolis News. His stories have appeared in the Washington Post, the Seattle Times and Atlanta Magazine. He has been a Livingston Award finalist and won numerous Georgia Press Association and Georgia Associated Press awards.
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