Two people are in the Gwinnett County Jail, charged in the Nov. 17, 2017 murder of George Young of Buford.
Gwinnett County Police Department Cpl. Michele Pihera said in a press statement that the victim's wife, 42-year-old Tia Young, and a family friend, 38-year-old Harvey Timothy "Tim" Lee, have each been charged malice murder, felony murder and aggravated assault in the case.
"Tia was George’s wife at the time of the homicide. They had three children together. Tim was a family friend who lived in the home with the Young family at the time of the murder," Pihera said in the statement.
The victim was shot to death on the front porch of his home at 3196 Montauk Hill Drive in Buford as he arrived home from his job at a local security company.
"Early on, the [lead] detective found evidence to suggest that Tia and Tim were involved in an intimate relationship," Pihera said. "Though Tia originally claimed that Tim was a 'cousin' or 'brother' type of family member, there is nothing to suggest that they are related."
In fact, the detective said he found evidence the two suspects were involved in an intimate relationship.
Pihera said the victim and the suspects had known each other for several years, and when Lee became unemployed, George Young invited him to live with the family in Buford. In addition, the victim had hired Lee to work with him at the security company.
According to Pihera, the detective believes that the murder of George Young was financially motivated.
"George had a life insurance policy for a significant amount of money," Pihera said. "Tia has not been able to collect on the policy."
Pihera said both suspects have denied involvement in the murder.
