Garry(Photo: submitted photo)
A 23-year-old Hattiesburg man was arrested and charged with murder in the early-morning beating death of the man who aided the city's homeless through Hope House Ministry.
Nijal Juan Garry was booked into Forrest County Jail just before 1 p.m. today after being questioned in the death of Toney Robinson, 55, of Hattiesburg.
Robinson, a part-time employee of Edwards Street Fellowship Center, was found about 6:30 a.m. today lying on the front lawn of one of Hope House's buildings at 1105 West Pine St.
Hattiesburg Police Department spokesman Lt. Jon Traxler said that a passing motorist noticed a man on the lawn and called police.
Traxler said Robinson had suffered trauma to his head and body.
Forrest County Coroner Butch Benedict said the body would be sent to the state Crime Lab in Jackson for autopsy to determine definite cause of death. Benedict estimated the time of death at about 5 a.m.
Garry was taken into custody as a "person of interest" after he was spotted driving Robinson's early-1990s GMC pickup truck shortly before 9 a.m.
Traxler said Garry led police on a brief chase that ended in Lamar County when he ran off Fox Terrace near Lamar Avenue. After being questioned at HPD headquarters, Garry was charged and taken to jail.
Traxler said Hattiesburg police were not actively seeking any other suspects, but that the investigation was continuing to make sure that no one else was involved.
Traxler said he did not know of a motive for the crime.
Robinson's murder was the 11th in Hattiesburg this year and the city's second in a 24-hour period.
Wednesday evening, Christopher Robinson, 48, died after being shot earlier that afternoon. He was one of two men wounded by gunfire at 3997 Morningside Drive.
No arrests have been made in the Wednesday shooting and Hattiesburg police still are investigating.
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