Man accused of Hannah Bender murder will appear in Superior Court Friday

News

DAWSON COUNTY, Ga. – Austin Stryker, the man indicted for the grisly murder of 21-year-old Hannah Bender of Lumpkin County in 2019, and Jerry Harper, the man indicted for hindering Stryker’s apprehension, will appear for a calendar call in Dawson County Superior Court Friday (April 16).

Stryker, 24, faces charges of malice murder, felony murder, violation of Georgia’s Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, concealing the death of another and tampering with evidence.

Harper, 78, was indicted for violation of the state’s street gang law and hindering the apprehension of a criminal.

Jerry Harper

Two other defendants, Isaac Thomas Huff, 20, and Dylan Patrick Reid, 21, pleaded guilty in Superior Court to aggravated assault, tampering with evidence, concealing the death of another and violation of the state’s street gang law. Both men accepted a plea deal for a lighter sentence and have testified that Stryker is the man who murdered Bender. The men were all members of a small street gang called “This.”

Four suspects in the Hannah Bender murder case will be arraigned in Superior Court March 12

News

DAWSON COUNTY, Ga. – Four suspects indicted in connection with the murder of Hannah Bender last September will be arraigned in Superior Court next month.

Austin Todd Stryker, Dylan Patrick Reid, Isaac Huff and Jerry Nesbit Harper are scheduled to appear before Judge Kathlene F. Gosselin on March 12.

Authorities believe the 21-year-old woman was murdered in Lumpkin County then taken to Forsyth County where her body was discovered.

Stryker, 22, was indicted on charges of malice murder, three counts of felony murder, three counts of aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated battery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of a knife during the commission of a felony, violating Georgia’s Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, concealing the death of another and tampering with evidence.

Reid, 20, and Isaac Huff, 19, both of Dawsonville, are accused of taking part in the crime and helping conceal her death. They were indicted on three counts of felony murder, three counts of aggravated assault, one count of aggravated battery and concealing the death of another.

A fourth suspect, 78-year-old Jerry Harper, was indicted on one count each of violating Georgia’s street gang law and hindering the apprehension of a criminal. According to his indictment, Harper helped hide Stryker days after Bender’s death while Stryker was the subject of a nationwide manhunt.

 

Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. FYN attracts 300,000+ page views per month, 3.5 million impressions per month and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com and up to 60,000 Facebook page reach. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com

 

Back to Top