<p>A Cherokee County jury has found a man not guilty of assisting in the rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl whose nude, partially burned body was found near Lake Allatoona.</p><p>Jonathan Heath Elkins, 21, was found not guilty on all charges related to the 2002 death of Katie Hamlin. The jury deliberated for twelve hours on Wednesday and Thursday before releasing its verdict on Friday.</p><p>Superior Court Judge N. Jackson Harris released Elkins from the county jail, where he had been held for two years. Elkins said he was glad to be going home.</p><p>"What happened to Katie Hamlin was a horrible tragedy," said J. Daran Burns, one of Elkins' attorneys. "What this jury did with their verdict today was to avoid a second tragedy by sending this innocent young man to jail."</p><p>In December, Jamerson Mangrum, 20, was sentenced to life in prison plus 80 years for Hamlin's rape and murder, even though Mangrum testified that he didn't kill her. His attorney has filed for an appeal.</p><p>Hamlin's semi-clothed, badly burned body was found in a dry creek bed on July 2, 2002, in southwest Cherokee County.</p><p>During Mangrum's trial, the prosecution presented jail inmates who testified that Mangrum acknowledged killing Hamlin after he was first arrested when her body was discovered. Elkins was accused of aiding Mangrum with the rape and murder and helping dispose of Hamlin's body.</p><p>Hamlin's mother, Donna Hamlin-Tubbs, said she and her family accept the jury's decision and are planning to move on with their lives.</p><p>Hamlin-Tubbs said she hopes to have the bridge near where her daughter's body was found named the Katie Hamlin Memorial Bridge.</p><p>"People often forget the victims, even thought they are the ones no longer with us," she said. "From the photos we've seen this week, Katie died a brutal death, and maybe this bridge will keep her memory alive in Cherokee County."</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x1cd9d44)</p>
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