BCSO: Felony murder charge pending after January Gledhill Street assault
The suspect, already serving prison time on a drug conviction, is expected to face a felony murder charge after the victim died earlier this month, according to the sheriff's office.
UPDATE (10/20/25): The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office says charges against a Macon man are expected to be upgraded to felony murder after the death of a man injured in a January assault on Gledhill Street.
Deputies say 45-year-old Akbar Mohammed Harclerode is accused of attacking 37-year-old Maurice Jerome Butler on January 16 near Gledhill Street and Willow Lane. Deputies found Butler unresponsive with a head injury. He was taken to a hospital and listed in critical condition.
Witnesses told deputies Butler had been involved in an altercation before he was found on the ground. Investigators reviewed video evidence that showed a gray vehicle leaving the scene and identified Harclerode as the suspect. Deputies arrested him a week later and charged him with aggravated assault and aggravated battery.
On October 17, Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones confirmed Butler died on October 10. Jones said he is waiting for autopsy results from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Medical Examiner’s Office before adding the case to the county’s homicide list for this year.
When 41NBC asked the sheriff’s office for an update on the case the same day, Sergeant Christopher Williams said Harclerode “is currently incarcerated” and “will face the charge of felony murder upon his return.”
The sheriff’s office did not reference the pending autopsy results in its response. Jones has not provided an update as of this report.
State Department of Corrections records show Harclerode is serving time at Coffee Correctional Facility for a prior conviction of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. His status is listed as active, with a maximum possible release date of November 30, 2028.
Those records show Harclerode has been in and out of state custody several times since 2002. His most recent incarceration began on June 17, 2025. The records, combined with a sheriff’s office media release from January regarding his arrest in connection with the Butler case, indicate Harclerode was not in state custody at the time of the Gledhill Street assault but was later transferred to prison after his arrest.
Earlier this year, investigators linked Harclerode to “Operation Westside Wakeup,” a months-long drug and gang investigation that began while he was in the Bibb County Jail. That operation led to multiple arrests and a September indictment accusing Harclerode and others of racketeering and drug trafficking tied to the Macon Mafia gang, according to the Georgia Attorney General’s Office.
ORIGINAL STORY (1/23/25):
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Bibb County Sheriff’s Office investigators arrested a 45-year-old Macon man in connection with a January 16 aggravated assault on Gledhill Street that left the victim in critical condition.
According to a sheriff’s office news release, deputies responded to the intersection of Gledhill Street and Willow Lane at 2:45 p.m. on January 16 after receiving reports of a person down. When deputies arrived, they found 37-year-old Maurice Jerome Butler unresponsive on the ground with a head injury. Paramedics took Butler to a local medical facility, where he was listed in critical condition.
Witnesses told investigators Butler had been involved in an altercation with another man before he was injured. Investigators reviewed video evidence showing a gray vehicle fleeing the scene and identified the suspect as 45-year-old Akbar Mohammed Harclerode of Macon.
On Thursday, members of the Bibb County Gang Unit, Criminal Intelligence Unit and Special Intelligence Unit located Harclerode’s vehicle near Berkener Avenue. After spotting the vehicle again near Bailey Avenue, deputies attempted a traffic stop, but the driver didn’t stop.
Harclerode abandoned the vehicle, which led to a brief foot chase before investigators took him custody. He was taken to Investigations Headquarters for questioning before being transported to the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center.
Harclerode is charged with aggravated assault and aggravated battery and is being held without bond.
