Unsolved: Georgia police seek tips after 84-year-old church deacon stabbed to death by dumpster

By Brooke Butler

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    SAVANNAH, Georgia (WJCL) — One year after an 84-year-old man was stabbed and left for dead near a dumpster at Kayton Homes, Savannah police are still searching for his killer.

Slaten Armstrong was killed in broad daylight on the morning of April 5, 2024.

“He got out here about 9:15 and he was dead by 9:26,” said his daughter, Gail Armstrong.

Armstrong said her dad was not a resident of Kayton Homes, but he frequently visited the area and other communities to collect scrap metal.

“That was a hobby that he did for well over 30 years. Especially after he retired, he started doing it full time. For somebody to murder him and leave him here by this dumpster laying on the ground like he was a nobody is unacceptable,” she said.

Armstrong described her father as a kind and generous man with a resilient spirit.

“He was more of a giver than he was a taker. He was a deacon in his church as well,” she said. “He overcame a lot of obstacles as a kid. Got sick, got burnt. They said he wouldn’t walk again, he did. Then he had a problem with [his] eyes at work. They were losing sight. He overcame all that to lose his life right here at this dumpster.”

Detectives with the Savannah Police Department believe someone may have witnessed the attack on Armstrong.

“It was outside. [There were] a lot of apartments in close proximity to where he was stabbed. We know that there were people in the area,” said Nicole Khaalis, supervisor for the department’s homicide division.

Despite the location and timing of the crime, police say no one has come forward with information that could lead to an arrest.

“Every family deserves closure,” Khaalis said.

In the absence of answers, Gail Armstrong has created a memorial at the site of her father’s murder. She visits the spot regularly to maintain it and to honor his memory.

“I put, ‘I didn’t deserve what you did to me. Say my name. Slaten Armstrong,’” she said.

Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact CrimeStoppers at 912-234-2020. Tipsters can remain anonymous.

Anonymous tips can also be submitted through the Savannah Police Department’s mobile app, available on Google Play and the Apple App Store.

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