JEFF DAVIS COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said 47-year-old Zachary B. Harper of Hazlehurst is charged with one count of felony murder and one count of malice murder in the 1996 killing of Rev. James Hand.

Deputies found Hand, 54, shot multiple times on the roof of Full Gospel Church of Snipesville in June 1996, according to investigators. Authorities said Hand had been repairing the roof when he was killed.

The Jeff Davis County Sheriff’s Office asked the GBI to help with the investigation at the time, and both agencies said they never stopped working the case. Investigators said new information recently led to the warrants against Harper.

The GBI said Harper is already serving a life sentence at Jenkins Correctional Facility on unrelated charges.

The case remains active, and investigators said they are not releasing additional details at this time.

Anyone with information is asked to call the GBI’s Douglas office or submit an anonymous tip through the state’s tip line or the “See Something, Send Something” app.

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