GWINNETT COUNTY, GA — Advanced DNA testing has led to an arrest in the 2020 killing of Tyler Hall, a 21-year-old found shot to death inside his Norcross home, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
State investigators say the case, which had been treated as a cold case for years, now centers on 27-year-old Rashad Jackson of DeKalb County. He faces charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the arrest came after new forensic work tied Jackson to the homicide. Hall was found dead on Aug. 30, 2020, after police discovered multiple gunshot wounds inside the home.
Norcross police found Tyler Hall dead in his home in August 2020
The homicide investigation began when Norcross police responded to Hall’s home on Aug. 30, 2020. Officers found the 21-year-old dead from multiple gunshot wounds inside the residence.
Because of the seriousness of the case, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Atlanta Regional Investigative Office joined local authorities to help examine the killing. The case then remained open while detectives pursued leads that had not produced an arrest for years.
Hall’s death became one of the Gwinnett County cases that investigators continued to review as technology improved. The GBI said the breakthrough came only after a later partnership with a forensic lab and the use of modern DNA tools.
How forensic genome sequencing pointed investigators to Rashad Jackson
In February 2024, the GBI Cold Case Unit partnered with Othram, Inc., a forensic laboratory that specializes in advanced DNA work. Investigators used modern forensic-grade genome sequencing along with genealogical profiling to narrow the field of possible suspects.
That process led state agents to identify Jackson as the suspect, according to the GBI. The agency did not say what evidence had been available before the new testing or how long investigators had been focusing on Jackson.
The case shows how newer forensic methods can move an older homicide investigation forward even after a significant delay. In this instance, the work linked the cold case to a specific person years after Hall was killed.
Jackson was already in Georgia prison on unrelated charges
Authorities said Jackson was already serving time in the Georgia Department of Corrections on unrelated charges when the murder charges were filed. The GBI did not say what those separate charges were.
The agency also did not release details about how Jackson was taken into custody in connection with the Hall case. What is clear is that the murder charges were added while he was already incarcerated on another matter.
Investigators have not said whether Jackson and Hall knew each other before the shooting. They also have not identified a motive for what prosecutors describe as an armed robbery and fatal attack.
The case now includes murder, robbery, assault and gun charges
Jackson faces a wide set of charges tied to the killing: malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Those counts reflect both the shooting itself and the robbery allegation attached to the case.
The GBI said the investigation remains active even after the arrest. That means agents are still asking for information that could help them better understand the circumstances surrounding Hall’s death.
In cold cases, an arrest can be a major milestone, but investigators often continue to look for additional evidence, witnesses, or context. Here, the agency has said only that the breakthrough came through advanced DNA testing and genealogical profiling.
GBI asks anyone with information to come forward
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is asking people with information about the case to contact its Office of Special Investigations at 404-239-2106. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477).
People can also share information online at gbi.georgia.gov or through the “See Something, Send Something” mobile app. The agency said those tips may still help investigators fill in missing pieces of the 2020 homicide.
For Hall’s family and for detectives who have worked the case for years, the arrest marks a long-awaited development. The GBI’s announcement ties the 2020 Norcross killing to a suspect identified only after new forensic methods were applied in 2024.
