GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Almost two years following the 2021 shooting death of 18-year-old Tori Lang in a Gwinnett County park, her accused killer is set to stand trial beginning Monday.
Proceedings with begin with jury selection Monday morning.
Austin Ford is accused of felony murder, aggravated assault, voluntary manslaughter, two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and two counts of theft by taking and tampering with evidence relating to Lang's death.
Police believed that he was Lang's friend at one point and said the two knew each other. At the time, the 20-year-old was being held in Clayton County for an unrelated theft charge. Records show that he was booked into the Gwinnett County jail on June 9, 2022.
Authorities have not said how they linked Ford to Lang's murder or how they are friends. Police have not said if there could be any other suspects in the case.
How did Tori Lang die?
On July 28, 2021, authorities found Lang shot and killed under a tree at Yellow River Park around 6:30 a.m.
Gwinnett County Police Department officers were originally investigating a call about a medical situation.
Her car was found a week later burned and hidden in a wooded area of Hidden Acres Nature Preserve in DeKalb County. The beat-up 2012 Nissan Versa was about five miles from where Lang's body was found. The area is closer to the family's home in Lithonia, not far from Stephenson Middle School.
Lang's friends did not know why she would be in the Gwinnett County park.
Honoring Tori's life
Her parents have wanted to keep Lang's vibrancy and hardworking legacy alive. They have started a foundation in her honor and are working to create scholarships at the schools she attended to ensure her memory lives on.
"[She was like] a kiwi: something sweet. Good for the soul. Joyful all the time," her father Torrey said. "Openhearted, we just want her to be remembered as a great person."
The Kiwi Foundation aims to decrease teenage violence by increasing communication between parents and their children.
Lang's parents have also become involved with TRC, or Truth and Reconciliation Conversations, which works to bring awareness to gender-based violence.