Charges against son dropped, DA announces arrest of new suspect in death of Atlanta couple

ATLANTA - Charges have been dropped against a man accused of killing his own parents and setting their house on fire in 2018.

Keith Sylvester told FOX 5's Aungelique Proctor back in July of 2018 that he had not strangled to death his mother and stepfather, Deborah and Harry Hubbard in their Harval Drive home in northwest Atlanta. However, Atlanta police arrested the couple's adult son in December of 2018.

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said it was his office that found the real killer, suspect Cornelius Muckle.

Cornelius Muckle (Fulton County Sheriff's Office)

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People in the neighborhood like Brandon Graham are relieved the truth has come out.

"We had a vigil for him and prayed with him and obviously our prayers were answered because authorities identified someone else," Graham said with relief.

Keith Sylvester (Fulton County Sheriff's Office)

"The case against Keith Sylvester was dismissed after the matter was independently investigated by the Major Felonies Unit of the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office. The result of this investigation shows that an assailant, who was unnamed in the original police investigation, was, in fact, in the house of Deborah and Harry Hubbard 20 minutes before a 911 call was placed regarding the fire that caused their deaths," Howard reported.

"The information was acquired through the execution of a Google Geofence search warrant, and it took Google nearly nine months to send that information to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office from the time it was requested. The results of this search warrant identified Cornelius Muckle as the culprit whose phone was inside the house at the time of the crimes. Additionally, the Google information also revealed that Muckle pawned several items belonging to the Hubbard’s two days after the homicide," Howard continued.

"Based upon this evidence, Muckle was charged in this incident, and the case against Keith Sylvester was dismissed," the district attorney concluded.

FOX 5 reached out to Sylvester's attorney but did not hear back from him.

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