Second Suspect in September Murder in Northport’s Northwood Lake Surrenders to Police

The hunt for the second suspect allegedly responsible for a September killing in Northport's Northwood Lakes neighborhood ended this weekend when he turned himself in at jail.

As the Thread has previously reported, 24-year-old Demetrius Damon Windham was reportedly ambushed and shot to death as he walked out of his home on Northwood Lake Drive West on the evening of September 24th, 2023.

Police said the victim was specifically targeted over some pre-existing issue with his assailants. They said a vehicle spent a long time in the area waiting for Windham to emerge from his home, and at least one assailant shot the young man to death when he came outside.

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The Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit began investigating the murder immediately and has not let up on the case. Surveillance footage captured in the area showed the suspect vehicle's occupants and the VCU worked diligently to identify two Birmingham men as suspects.

In October, two weeks after the killing, they arrested Antwaun Dewayne Pledger-Payton and charged him with murder, but VCU commander said at the time they were still actively seeking the other person of interest.

On Sunday, that suspect surrendered to police at the Tuscaloosa County Jail.

Kennedy told the Thread the VCU identified 39-year-old George La Darius Warren as an occupant of the suspect vehicle back last fall, but he has evaded capture since then.

Perhaps due to the pressure applied by local investigators and US Marshals searching for Warren over the last year, he turned himself in this weekend and has now been charged with murder.

Kennedy said Warren was the only remaining suspect in this case and police do not believe anyone else involved remains at large.

For more coverage of exclusive crime news in West Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.