Habersham Man Convicted of Murder

A Habersham County jury convicts a Cornelia man of murder and other charges in connection with a 2012 crime.

Last week, 54-year-old William Douglas Downer of Cornelia was convicted of Felony Murder, Armed Robbery, Burglary, and Aggravated Assault in a Habersham County courtroom.

Downer was convicted of murdering Michael Larry Hill on August 28, 2012.

The trial, presided over by Mountain Judicial Circuit Superior Court Chief Judge Russell W. “Rusty” Smith, Jr., began on January 11.

Prosecutors say that Downer killed Hill and then disposed of his body by burning it at a residence on Ayres Road in Mt. Airy.

According to Mountain Judicial Circuit Acting District Attorney George Christian, about 13 witnesses testified at trial.

That included Downer’s co-defendant, Albert Brown, who is serving a life sentence for his participation in the murder.

Prosecutors said Brown helped Downer dispose of Hill’s body.

Acting DA Christian said that the State’s other witnesses included an anthropologist who testified as to the cause and manner of death due to the condition of the body, the medical examiner, and the forensic examiners from the GBI Crime Lab in Decatur.

Assistant DA’s Eddie Staples and Meredith Davis presented the case on behalf of the state.

The Habersham County Sheriff’s Office and GBI office in Cleveland investigated the case.