Man charged with pastor’s murder 30 years after case left unsolved

July 8, 2026

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has announced that thirty years after a Georgia pastor was gunned down while repairing the roof of his church, investigators have arrested a suspect in the cold case.

The Christian Post reports that 47-year-old Zachary B. Harper of Hazlehurst has been charged with one count of malice murder and one count of felony murder in the June 1, 1996, killing of Pastor James Hand.

According to investigators, 54-year-old Hand was repairing the roof of the Full Gospel Church of Snipesville in Jeff Davis County when he was shot multiple times.

At the time of the murder, the Jeff Davis County Sheriff’s Office requested the GBI’s assistance following the discovery of Hand’s body.

In a press release, The state bureau reported: “Over the past 30 years, the GBI’s Regional Investigative Office in Douglas and the Jeff Davis County Sheriff’s Office have remained committed to seeking answers in Hand’s death.”

The press release also stated that additional information received 30 years after the investigation has now “led to Harper being charged in connection with Hand’s death.”

According to WSB-TV, Harper is already incarcerated at Jenkins Correctional Facility for an unrelated murder conviction.

GBI confirmed that the investigation remains active and ongoing, adding that once it is complete, the case file will be given to the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution, according to the Christian Post.

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