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Athens teen charged in man's murder
Victim is identified in Thursday's slaying at mobile home park
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The Hall County Sheriff's Office is investigating a homicide at East Ridge Mobile Home Park off Marlow Drive in Gainesville. - photo by SARA GUEVARA
Authorities have charged an Athens teen with murder in the death of a 68-year-old man found dead in his mobile home Thursday.

Murder warrants were obtained late Thursday night for the 16-year-old male, whose name was not immediately released because of his status as a juvenile, Hall County Sheriff's Col. Jeff Strickland said.

The teen is charged in the death of Ramon Hernandez, who lived alone in the East Ridge Mobile Home Park off Marlow Drive. The mobile home park is located between Ga. 60 and U.S. 129 in an unincorporated area of Hall County. The cause of death has not been released pending an autopsy scheduled for today.

The teenager's name is likely to become public record because he was charged as an adult. He was arrested by Hall County Sheriff's investigators and Athens-Clarke Police at his home in Athens at about 4 p.m. Thursday and is being held at the Regional Youth Detention Center in Gainesville.

Hernandez's body was discovered at about 8:30 a.m. Thursday. Hernandez worked maintenance and odd jobs around the mobile home park, Strickland said. When he failed to show up for a job Thursday, a co-worker went to the home and discovered the body in a back room. There was no apparent sign of forced entry, he said.

Investigators obtained leads which led to the arrest of the teen, Strickland said, without elaborating.  A motive in the killing, and whether the teen knew the victim, remains under investigation.

"We're still early in this, and it remains a very active investigation," Strickland said.

It was the second homicide in Hall County this year.