James Thomas McCollum was known for his joy, loyalty to those he cared for and his love for "The Loveliest Village on the Plains."
McCollum, a 19-year-old Montgomery native and freshman at Auburn, passed away Dec. 31.
Jason Curtis Ferguson is being charged with capital murder and held without bond said Sheriff D.T. Marshall of Montgomery.
Despite the circumstances surrounding McCollum's death, his legacy is remembered fondly by those who loved him.
"Jay started coming to Auburn football games when he was three," his mother, Beth McQuitty, said. "The only place he applied was Auburn. He didn't want to come anywhere else."
McCollum came from a long line of Auburn graduates, including his great uncle who played with Jimmy Hitchcock in the 30s. McQuitty said the family has had the same seats in Jordan-Hare since she was in high school.
For McCollum, moving to Auburn was not only a dream come true, but a smooth transition.
"Jay did remark that it's just like home over here," McQuitty said. "It wasn't moving to some place that was just totally different."
More than 900 friends and family came to show love and respect for McCollum at his visitation on Thursday, Jan. 3 at the Alabama Heritage Funeral Home.
"The sheer number of people just touched me," McQuitty said.
McCollum attended Saint James School in Montgomery from kindergarten through 12th grade and graduated in 2012.
McCollum was computer assistant for David Long, the high school computer instructor, last year. Long remembers McCollum as a young man full of joy, kindness and confidence.
"He was always happy," Long said. "(He) was always willing to go that extra mile to help out."
Long particularly remembers McCollum's focus on those around him and generous heart.
Long said he remembers McCollum talking about his excitement to go to Auburn and his anticipation in being there.
"There were several times this last football season that he would text me on a Saturday and a home game and say, 'I've got an extra ticket Mr. Long, you wanna come?'" Long said.
Not only was McCollum constantly helping others, but he had a drive to get things done, Long said.
During McCollum's time as Long's computer assistant, Saint James School transitioned their computer system from Windows and Dell to Mac. McCollum was extremely helpful in the process, helping teachers and other adjust to the new system Long said.
"If I gave him a task, he was on the spot, did it," Long said. "He was a go-getter."
Long said that in McCollum's eyes his whole future lay ahead of him wide open.
"It was different with him than a lot of students that I have that are seniors, that they think they want to do this or they might want to do this, with Jay, it was every time that you talked to him about something, (he'd say)'Well, I can do that!'" Long said.
Long said that McCollum had a way of impacting those he met.
"I teach probably 80 students in a day. If I could have even half of them resemble Jay, it would be great...Jay just had that extra something about him that made you glad that you got to know him and that he was in your life in some small way."
While McCollum wasn't taking classes, he was often came home for the weekend to see his girlfriend, Olivia Knight.
Beth McQuitty said that she would often get into the car with her son and John Mayer's "Something like Olivia," would inevitably be the song playing.
Along with his loyalty to his friends, McCollum was close to his mother.
"Jay was very loyal to his friends," McQuitty said. "If they needed him, he was there for them. You didn't talk bad about his friends. I can tell you, you didn't talk bad about his Momma."
She remembers one time specifically when McCollum was possibly 14 and an intoxicated woman sitting behind them at an Auburn game was spilling her drink on them. They asked her to leave and McQuitty said the woman must have said something smart because McCollum whipped around and said, "You don't talk to my Momma like that."
McQuitty said that she thinks McCollum's early exposure to handling uncertainty in life helped shape him as a person.
"I think that was a point that he had to learn that life's not certain," McQuitty said.
McCollum also enjoyed history, Texas Roadhouse food, Lynyrd Skynyrd, his cat Tigger, tailgating with his family, spending time at his Dad's lakehouse at Lake Martin and being with his grandfather.
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