Atlanta train stabbing suspect faces new charge as feds weigh death penalty in great-grandmother’s killing

DISTURBING CONTENT WARNING:

A Georgia man accused of fatally stabbing a 66-year-old great-grandmother in an unprovoked attack aboard an Atlanta MARTA train is now facing a federal charge that could make him eligible for life in prison or the death penalty, federal prosecutors said.

John Elijah Matthews, 25, of Decatur, Georgia, was charged in a federal criminal complaint with committing an act of violence using a dangerous weapon with intent to cause death on a mass transportation system, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will determine whether the government will seek the death penalty if Matthews is convicted, prosecutors said.

The victim, identified by federal officials a...