Friend charged with concealing death in Georgia college student's murder

Anitra Gunn disappeared on Valentine's Day. Her body was found on Feb. 18.

February 26, 2020, 5:10 PM

Days after the boyfriend of a Georgia college student was arrested for her murder, authorities said a friend also has been charged.

Jaivon Abron, a friend of the suspect, Demarcus Little, and an acquaintance of the victim, Anitra Gunn, was taken into custody on Wednesday, Todd Crosby of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said at a news conference.

Probable cause was established to charge Abron, 22, with two counts of false statements and one count of concealing a death, Crosby said.

Gunn, a 23-year-old senior at Fort Valley State University in Fort Valley, Georgia, went missing on Valentine's Day. Her body was found Feb. 18 in a wooded area of Crawford County, Georgia.

Anitra Gunn, 23, is pictured in a photo released by the Fort Valley Police Department in Georgia.
The Fort Valley Police Department

Gunn's boyfriend, the 23-year-old Little, was arrested for her murder on Friday. Gunn was strangled to death, according to ABC Atlanta affiliate WSB, citing court documents.

Crosby did not elaborate on how Abron allegedly concealed Gunn's death. Crosby said authorities had talked to Abron several times during the investigation.

Investigators gather near where the body of Anitra Gunn was found in Crawford County, Ga., Feb. 18, 2020.
WGXA

The college senior's phone was found Wednesday afternoon, Crosby said, and authorities are still searching for the bumper of Gunn's white 2013 Chevrolet Cruze. The investigation is ongoing.

Little made his first court appearance this week, at which his attorney, Benjamin Davis, hailed the murder suspect's "great military background."

"There's no history of violence in his background," Davis said in court, according to WSB. "He has no criminal history, so this would be out of character for anyone in his situation to be charged with something like this."

A court appearance for Abron has not been set, authorities said Wednesday.

A memorial service for Gunn has been planned for Saturday in Alabama.