Columbus man charged in stabbing death of his brother, police say

A Columbus man has been charged with murder (family violence) and possession of a knife during the commission of a crime in the fatal stabbing of his brother at their home Tuesday morning, according to Columbus police.

Kenneth Jernigan, 36, was arrested after Columbus police officers found his brother, Kevin Jernigan, dead at 2710 King Street around 2 a.m. Tuesday following reports of a stabbing, police said.

Columbus Police Lt. Greg Touchberry said the two men were brothers and that both men lived at the King Street home.

Kenneth Jernigan was booked in the Muscogee County Jail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 29 at 9 a.m. in Recorder’s Court.

The Columbus Police Department is asking anybody that has any information about the murder to please contact Cpl. Matt Sitler at 706-225-4367 or Msitler@columbusga.org.

This story was originally published August 27, 2019 at 11:30 AM.

Nick Wooten

Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Nick Wooten is the Accountability/Investigative reporter for the Ledger-Enquirer where he is responsible for covering several topics, including Georgia politics. His work may also appear in the Macon Telegraph. Nick was given the Georgia Press Association’s 2021 Emerging Journalist award for his coverage of elections, COVID-19 and Columbus’ LGBTQ+ community. Before joining McClatchy, he worked for The (Shreveport La.) Times covering city government and investigations. He is a graduate of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia.