‘A special kind of evil …’ – Man sentenced to life for murdering cousin

A man found guilty of killing his cousin in 2023 and then concealing the death was sentenced Tuesday to life without the possibility of parole.

A Laurens County jury found that Edwin Lamar Wilkinson murdered James Douglas “Doug” Wilkinson, 58, of East Dublin. 

Edwin Wilkinson, 63, was convicted of two counts of felony murder, one count of malice murder, aggravated assault, concealing death of another, possession of a firearm during commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. 

In addition to life without the possibility of parole, Chief Superior Court Judge Jon F. Helton added 15 years to be served consecutively. 

“The thought of a cousin killing another cousin, and then disposing of his body in a backyard where critters can eat it up and the body can decompose outside, takes a special kind of evil,” said Dublin Circuit District Attorney Harold McLendon. 

“The evidence showed that (Edwin) wrapped the body in a carpet and used some type of chemical on the body. The body had decomposed for about 30 days.” 

Family members reported Doug Wilkinson missing to the East Dublin Police Department on June 12. They told officials he had been missing since June 1 when his truck had been left at Edwin’s house on 883 Ralph Keen Road. On June 23, the EDPD requested assistance from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which eventually led agents serving a search warrant at Edwin Wilkinson’s home on June 27. While searching the property, agents discovered human remains which were later identified as Doug.

McLendon said the investigation, which continued after the arrest, showed that the victim had inherited some money. The GBI, he said, was able to find a witness who had been told about the crime by the defendant.

“The defendant was kind of bragging about this in the jail,” McLendon said. “The witness was interviewed, and it gave us a nail to put in the coffin. He actually admitted to this guy that he did it.”

A woman who lived with Edwin Wilkinson also was arrested initially, but McLendon said her charges were later dismissed. Assistant DA Kayla McLendon was the prosecutor in the case, which was worked by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the East Dublin Police Department.

“The officers never gave up on this case,” the DA said. “We are glad to be able to give this family some closure.”