A 24-year-old former Fort Campbell soldier died at a Nashville, Tennessee, hospital Thursday afternoon, and an active-duty soldier is now being charged with first-degree murder in the case.
Seth Brabant, a Michigan native, died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center four days after he was found unconscious on the side of a rural gravel road in the Indian Mound portion of Stewart County, Sgt. Jody Batton of Stewart County Sheriff's Office said Friday.
"We were notified by Vanderbilt that he died about 12:12 p.m." on Thursday, Batton said.
Zachary James-Earl Ponder, 23, who gave a Fort Campbell address, was charged Thursday evening with first-degree murder and aggravated assault in the case, Batton said. Those charges were upgraded from attempted murder after Brabant died.
Ponder is being held at the Henry County Jail while Stewart County is in the process of opening a new jail, according to Batton.
Batton said Brabant and Ponder knew each other because they had both been stationed at Fort Campbell. Brabant left the Army in late 2015 and stayed in touch with Ponder, according to another investigator.
Batton said he could not provide a motive for the attack because the case is still under investigation. Investigators have not said if either man lived in the area where Brabant was found.
"They're still trying to put all of the pieces together," Batton said.
A passerby spotted Brabant on Glen Holliday Road early Sunday morning in a rural area. He was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in critical condition.
Batton said the cause of death would be determined by an autopsy and Brabant's body is being sent to the medical examiner's office today.
Batton said most or all of Brabant's family lives out of state.
The sheriff's office is working closely with the 23rd Judicial District Attorney's Office on the case, Batton said.
An earlier report in The Leaf-Chronicle quoted an investigator who said Brabant had contusions on his forehead.
