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Thread: Coley Lewis McCraney Sentenced to LWOP in 1999 AL Slaying of J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett

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    Coley Lewis McCraney Sentenced to LWOP in 1999 AL Slaying of J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett







    Arrest of Golden State Killer suspect sparked break in 1999 murders of Alabama teens

    By Carol Robinson
    AL.com

    The 2018 arrest of the alleged Golden State Killer through use of a genealogy and DNA database sparked the chain of events that led to the break in an Alabama cold case that has haunted an entire region for decades.

    Ozark Police Chief Marlos Walker on Monday said it was that California case – in which 72-year-old Joseph James DeAngelo was arrested on suspicion of being the man who killed 12 people and raped more than 50 women in the 1970s and 1980s – which led he and other investigators to reach out to Parabon NanoLabs in Virginia, which specializes in DNA engineering.

    Walker said investigators’ goal has long been to break the case before the 20th anniversary of the murders, which will be July 31, 2019. When the Golden State Killer case was cracked, Walker said, “I was like, let’s try that,’’’ he said at a press conference held Monday. “I’m a spiritual guy and it’s all God’s work.”

    Walker said they started the process in August 2018 and it culminated in the arrest of 45-year-old Coley McCraney, a truck driver who spent some time in the military and has led a crime-free, low-profile life up until the time he was taken into custody. McCraney is charged with one count of rape and five counts of capital murder in the 1999 deaths of high school seniors Tracie Hawlett and J.B Beasley, both 17, who vanished on the way home from Beasley’s birthday party on the night of July 31.

    According to Hawlett’s mother, Carole Roberts, the girls had been lost and could not understand the directions they were given before stopping at a convenience store in Ozark after the party in Headland.

    “God gave her to me. He didn’t have the right to do that. I just want to know why,” said Roberts, who wore a button featuring her daughter’s photo at the news conference announcing the arrest.

    Hawlett had two school-age brothers at the time of her death and Roberts said the whole family slept in the same bed for a time after the slayings out of fear. She still remembers her last conversation with her daughter, who called to see if Beasley could spend the night after the party, which was for Beasley's birthday.

    “Last words out of her lips were, ‘mama, I love you,’” said Roberts. “Last words out of my mouth to her were, ‘I love you.’”

    The girls were found the next day inside the trunk of Beasley’s black Mazda 929, on the side of Herring Avenue about one block away from the Dale County hospital. Both girls had each been shot once in the head, but there were no other signs of foul play. The girls’ jewelry, purses and money were not missing and state forensics experts at the time said neither girl had been raped. However, authorities have now charged McCraney with raping Beasley.

    In the years immediately after the killing, investigators conducted more than 500 interviews, overworked forensics experts and tested the DNA of more than 70 potential suspects, according to past published reports.

    Police arrested Johnny William Barrentine, who they said implicated himself by putting himself at the crime scene during an interview with authorities. Barrentine later said he told police his fake stories to get the reward money that was promised at the time.

    Following the Golden State Killer arrest, investigators sent DNA evidence from the girls’ murders – Walker said he couldn’t yet say whether that DNA was hair, blood, or semen – to Parabon. The company traditionally used the genetic genealogy to help connect family members but quickly moved into the law enforcement realm. They upload DNA evidence from crime scenes to GEDmatch in an attempt to identify perpetrators.

    Last year, the company said they found matches in 20 cases out of 100 and, in November 2018, they said they were working on 200 cases and 55 percent had produced leads.

    After receiving the evidence from Ozark investigators, they devised a list of possible matches. One of the names on that list jumped out at Walker and other investigators.

    McCraney had grown up in Ozark and the police knew him from school and beyond. “I was very surprised,’’ Walker said. “I was surprised when I saw the results and every person I talked to said the same thing, but DNA doesn’t lie.”

    Several weeks ago, investigators brought McCraney in to take a DNA swab from him. They sent his DNA to Parabon which was a match to the DNA taken from the 1999 crime scene.

    “I had to sit in my chair for three hours,’’ Walker said. “We’ve all been working on this for so long. It’s one of those things where you say, ‘Is this really happening?’’

    McCraney was taken into custody Friday during a traffic stop near Daleville, Walker said. He was arrested without incident. Walker declined to comment on whether McCraney confessed to the crimes or made any statements at all to investigators. In 1999, he lived not far from where the girls’ bodies were found.

    Court records show McCraney has at least three children and was divorced in 1998. He had spent time serving in the U.S. Air Force in Biloxi, Mississippi, after graduating from Carroll High School Ozark, according to the Dothan Eagle. He served from 1993 to 1997.

    According to WTVY,
    he remarried soon after Hawlett and Beasley were killed and has led a quiet life in Dothan. The news agency reported that state records show he founded a non-profit religious ministry, Spirit and Truth Lifeline Ministries, based in Dothan.

    McCraney was booked into the Dale County Jail Saturday night. He made his first court appearance Sunday, and a judged ordered he be held without bond. Authorities have not identified the relative who had apparently submitted DNA for genealogy research nor said when that DNA was submitted.

    McCraney, who has his own church and preached recently, is cooperating with authorities, said defense attorney David Harrison.

    “My heart goes out to the victims’ families,” Harrison said. “It’s a tragedy. We don’t need to make it make three tragedies by convicting him.”

    Harrison said McCraney is an outstanding community member who is married with children and grandchildren. Aside from preaching, records show he worked as a truck driver for years for several different companies.

    Harrison also said he was concerned about his client getting a fair trial.

    “It’s going to be difficult to find a jury that’s not already aware of the facts,” he said. “I might have to ask that it be moved to another venue to get a fair trial. A lot of emotions are flying.”

    Dale County District Attorney Kirke Adams spoke at the press conference and explained why there are five capital murder charges against McCraney: one charge each for the girls’ deaths, one because a murder was committed during the course of a rape, one because two or more people were murder and one because the murder was committed with a deadly weapon inside the vehicle. Adams said he will seek the death penalty.

    “Multiple agencies have worked tirelessly to bring this day together,’’ Adams said. “My office will be the voice for J.B. and Tracie. I pledge you that.”
    Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall also attended the news conference.

    “DNA evidence recovered from Beasley’s body and clothing helped to create a profile of the suspect, but despite our best combined efforts law enforcement were never able to find a genetic match—until now,’’ Marshall said. He noted McCraney had no prior criminal record which would have previously provided his DNA profile to law enforcement in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) run by the FBI. “McCraney has remained anonymous to investigators until new DNA testing of forensic evidence utilizing family genetic analysis finally led law enforcement to McCraney as a suspect.”

    “Today, all who have sought justice for Tracie Hawlett and J.B. Beasley—including all the residents of the Wiregrass—are finally near closure in this long and painful case,” Marshall said.

    Walker thanked those who helped in the investigation and arrest of McCraney: Ozark and Dothan police; the Dale County Sheriff’s Office, the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, the State Bureau of Investigation, the Dale County District Attorney’s Office, the Alabama Attorney General’s Office and the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences.

    “This is joyous time,’’ Walker said. “To the families, we thank y’all for your patience. We know it’s been a tough road, a long road.”

    Sherry Gilland, who lived near a store where the girls were last seen, said the killings changed the community. Afterward, Gilland said, she was afraid to let her own daughter ride her bicycle or walk too far from home.

    “It has been a cloud over the town, but now it’s lifted,” she said.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    https://www.al.com/news/2019/03/arre...ama-teens.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    McCraney 'needs to be gone, quick,' parents of murder victim say

    By Sarah Drake
    Dothan First

    OZARK, Ala. (WDHN) — For the past 20 years, Tracie Hawlett's parents, Mike and Carol Roberts, have wondered who killed their daughter, and both said they thought they would never see the day someone was held accountable for their daughter's murder.

    "When it hit the five-year mark, I began to think that maybe it wasn't," Carol Roberts said. "Then the ten-year mark and the 15-year mark, and honestly, I thought it never would be solved."

    "We've been through pure hell the last 20 years," Mike Roberts said. "I didn't think this day would ever come, but it did, and I want to thank everybody involved in it."

    District Attorney Kirke Adams said that Coley McCraney is eligible for the death penalty and that he has been prepared to pursue that punishment for 10 years. Mike and Carol said they hope that happens.

    "He shouldn't live 20 or 30 more years on this earth," Mr. Roberts said. "He needs to be gone, quick. That's the way I feel about it."

    "I sat down and read in Exodus where it says if you take a person's life, you should have to give up your life," Carol said. "And, I'm sorry, you know, but that's the law, and I honestly believe that that should be what happens."

    Mike and Carol said they know they will have to relive everything that happened, but they are ready to do so if it means finally being able to put someone behind bars.

    https://www.dothanfirst.com/news/top...say/1861103254
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    New: Forensics report in murder case of two teens made public

    By Ken Curtis
    WTVY News

    State forensics experts believe, beyond any reasonable doubt, murder suspect Coley McCraney had sexual contact with one of the high school students he is accused of murdering. Police arrested McCraney, now 45, on March 16.

    J.B. Beasley and her best friend Tracie Hawlett, both 17, died on August 1, 1999. They had been shot and, according to police, Beasley was raped.

    The report appears to confirm theories of investigators.

    “The DNA detected from vaginal swabs identified to be from J.B.H. Beasley are a mixture of at least two individuals, at least one must be male. Coley Lewis McCraney and J.B. Beasley are included as potential contributors to this mixture,” the analysis states.

    The report from the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences claims the chances of the DNA in Ms. Beasley belonging to someone other than McCraney are a minimum of one in 14 million and could be as high as one in 48.6 million, depending on race.

    The report claims DNA stains found on Beasley's underwear are also certainly those of McCraney. The chances of a erroneous match are at least one in 38.3 decillion. (A decillion is a number followed by 33 zeros.)

    Court records show McCraney voluntarily submitted DNA in January 2019, after an independent lab potentially linked him to the girls. Ozark Police Chief Marlos Walker then sent samples to an Alabama state lab for verification. When announcing the arrest, Walker said “DNA doesn't lie.”

    McCraney's attorney doesn't deny his client had been with Ms. Beasley and Ms. Hawlett before they died. However, he believes someone else may have placed their bodies inside Ms. Beasley's car, before shooting them.

    On Wednesday, David Harrison will have an opportunity to question at least one investigator assigned to this case. A preliminary hearing will determine if there is sufficient evidence to send the case to a Dale County Grand Jury.

    https://www.wtvy.com/content/news/Ne...507944821.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Document: Coley McCraney’s statement to police at odds with attorney’s assertion he knew victim

    By Sarah Drake
    Dothan First

    While an attorney for capital murder defendant Coley McCraney said last week evidence may indicate his client knew at least one of the victims of a 1999 double murder, court documents indicate McCraney told authorities following his arrest that he had no knowledge of either victim.

    A preliminary hearing for McCraney, charged with five counts of capital murder and one count of rape in connection with the slayings of J.B. Beasley in Tracie Hawlett in 1999, is currently scheduled for Wednesday at the Dale County Courthouse. The hearing could shed more light on McCraney’s statements to police following his arrest on March 15.

    During a press conference March 20, David Harrison, defense attorney for McCraney, first indicated McCraney may have known one of the victims. The statement came in response to a question related to law enforcement’s assertion that McCraney’s DNA was found on one of the victims.

    “We need to remember Mr. McCraney is innocent until proven guilty. Everyone is basing their decision on the DNA. Everyone believes DNA stands for ‘do not ask.’ It (DNA) doesn't prove anything, other than they knew each other,” Harrison said.

    WTVY television subsequently reported that Harrison believes McCraney knew or had met one or both victims. He did not elaborate further.

    However, an application for a search warrant in connection with the case indicates McCraney told police he did not know the victims.

    According to the seven-page application filed by a Special Agent with the Alabama Attorney General’s office, McCraney was stopped March 15 at U.S. Highway 84 East near Woodland Drive in Daleville at 3:04 p.m. He was advised of his right to an attorney and transported to the Ozark Police Department for questioning.

    “During the interview, Mr. McCraney denied having any knowledge of the victims, and denied having any interactions with the victims. Mr. McCraney stopped answering questions and requested a lawyer after several attempts to get him to explain his actions during the offense,” the application states.

    When contacted by the Dothan Eagle Monday, Harrison said he was not prepared to comment on the statement in the application because he has not had an opportunity review all of the documents.

    The application sought the right to search two Android smartphones and an iPad believed to be in McCraney’s possession. Text messages, messages via app, call logs, media files, web browser history, and any digital documents stored on the devices were all sought to be searched in the application.

    https://www.dothaneagle.com/news/cri...1f6262292.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    McCraney case bound over to grand jury

    By Cassie Gibbs
    The Southeast Sun

    A man charged in the 1999 deaths of two Dothan girls was bound over to a grand jury by District Judge Stan Garner Jr. on Wednesday, April 3.

    Coley McCraney, 45, was arrested on Saturday, March 16, and charged with five counts of capital murder and rape in the 1999 deaths of J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett.

    A preliminary hearing to determine if there was probable cause for a trial against McCraney was held at the Dale County Courthouse. He is represented by David Harrison and Andrew Scarborough. Thirty-third Judicial Circuit District Attorney Kirke Adams and Assistant DA David Emery represented the state.

    Garner stated there are three cases against McCraney with Beasley cited as the victim. There is one murder charge, one murder while attempting to engage in sexual activity and one murder in a motor vehicle charge.

    The other two murder charges cite Hawlett as the victim: one murder charge and one murder charge in a motor vehicle.

    Investigator Michael Bryan, commander of investigations and other groups with the Ozark Police Department, was the first witness on the stand.

    Bryan confirmed questions from Emery that both girls were found in the trunk of an abandoned car located on Herring Avenue and both were dead with a gunshot to the head. Later, he specified, while referring to an autopsy report, that Beasley was shot with a bullet that entered her right cheek and exited near the back of her neck. Hawlett was shot with a bullet that entered her right temple and exited from the left side of her head.

    Bryan said a BOLO (Be On the Look Out) was released on Aug. 1, 1999, for the girls’ car by the Dothan Police Department around 10:30 a.m. While the BOLO was sent out, Bryan said Sgt. Bobby Blankenship had reported to dispatch that he saw the vehicle while on patrol.

    Dothan officers reached the vehicle around 2 p.m. and opened the trunk of the car where the two girls were found dead, Bryan said.

    Bryan told Emery the vehicle was taken by the Dothan PD for examination, and the girls’ bodies were taken to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in Montgomery for autopsies and forensic examinations.

    Emery asked if any other items were taken from the trunk of the car where the girls were found. Bryan said “two projectiles,” later classified as bullets, were also taken for analysis to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, as well as a 9 mm casing.

    The projectiles were located in the rear right and left corner panels of the trunk, Bryan said. He also said the casing analysis showed it could have been fired from guns made from three possible manufacturers, including a Hi-Point 9 mm handgun.

    This make of gun was later referenced in a 1994 Air Force offense report against McCraney that included charges of aggravated assault consummated by battery of a child under 16 years of age, unlawful detention and possession of a concealed weapon.

    This weapon was cited to be a 9 mm Hi-Point handgun, though defense attorney Harrison argued the narrative of the report did not include an actual handgun being found on McCraney’s person. Rather, Harrison argued that six 9 mm rounds and a broken 9 mm magazine, information that Bryan read from the offense report, was found on another civilian referenced in the report.

    Bryan also confirmed the autopsy report recorded “powder stippling” on the hands of both girls, which he said was due to the closeness of the gun. He said the gun, based on the stippling, was “within feet” of the girls.

    Emery then asked about the night before the girls were found in the car trunk, or July 31, 1999. Bryan told Emery investigations by the OPD determined Hawlett made a phone call to her mother at 11:38 p.m. He said the phone call was made from a payphone at the Big Little gas station off Broad Street in Ozark.

    Bryan said the mother, Carol, was interviewed and told police Hawlett told her during the call that the two girls had gotten lost and were getting directions from another person in the parking lot to find a way home. Bryan said the phone call ended at approximately 11:42 p.m.

    Emery asked where the Big Little station was located in connection with where the girls were found in the car trunk. Bryan stated the station was less than a mile from where the girls were found.

    Emery then asked if McCraney’s name was ever mentioned before in the almost 20 years of investigation in the case. Bryan replied that McCraney was never considered in any way until recently.

    He confirmed McCraney was from the Ozark area, graduating from Carroll High School, but said he now lives in Dothan. He would have been approximately 25 years old in 1999, according to Bryan.

    Emery asked if police have investigated McCraney’s location in 1999. Bryan stated police found McCraney lived at 4 Lisenby Drive, now 143 Patterson Drive, by using resources from Alabama Power, the city’s water department and other resources.

    When asked, Bryan confirmed that Alabama Power records, which were subpoenaed, indicated power was turned on in McCraney’s name at 4 Lisenby Drive on June 12, 1998 and turned off on August 16, 1999.

    He confirmed that city water department records indicated water was turned on in McCraney’s name at the same address on June 11, 1998 and turned off on Aug. 19, 1999.

    When asked about the location of 4 Lisenby Drive in relation to the Big Little station and the location of the car where the girls were found, Bryan said the residence was approximately less than half a mile from the Big Little station and less than a mile from the location of the car.

    Bryan later stated that during interrogation, McCraney told police he lived at his mother’s residence where a trailer was placed on his mother’s property on Coleman Drive. Bryan said McCraney did live on Coleman Drive after records showed he lived on Lisenby Drive.

    Emery asked about biological evidence that was also analyzed by the Alabama Department of Forensic Science.

    Bryan stated during the hearing that DNA from the biological evidence was used to create a profile in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), though no match was found to the DNA until recently.

    While referring to a report on “some” of the biological evidence that was found on Beasley’s sweater or top, which is still in OPD custody, and underwear, Bryan said the DNA was found to match McCraney’s.

    Referring to a separate report on biological evidence taken from vaginal swabs from Beasley, Bryan said the evidence, later classified as semen, was found to be a mixture of two individuals, Beasley and McCraney.

    When asked about the state of the clothes on the girls, Bryan said mud was found on both girls’ pants and the clothes were damp.

    At the time of his arrest, McCraney was read his Miranda Rights, according to Bryan, who also stated that he did not explain “verbatim” why McCraney was in police custody at the time. He also said he did not threaten McCraney and McCraney was responsive during interrogation.

    During interrogation, McCraney denied knowing or killing both girls, according to Bryan. He said McCraney stated “he’s never even met them.”

    While Bryan was still on the stand, Harrison asked how the rape charge, written on the affidavit to arrest McCraney, was determined. Bryan stated the charge was added “based on the totality of the circumstances” in investigation and interrogation.

    Bryan told Harrison there were several factors he used to determined that rape had occurred. These factors included the semen found on Beasley, including on the vaginal swabs, as well as McCraney denying knowing either Hawlett or Beasley. He said he also considered that no one else knew of any connection between the girls and McCraney.

    Harrison asked if rape was ever included in the autopsy report on the victims, and Bryan confirmed that it had not.

    According to several references in the Daleville Sun-Courier archives, a preliminary forensics report in 1999 showed both girls had not been sexually assaulted. Former OPD Chief Tony Spivey was reported saying that sexual assault and robbery were ruled out as motives for the murders in an Aug. 25, 1999, Daleville Sun-Courier article.

    The Daleville Sun-Courier archives also show that Spivey told media in 1999 that there was evidence that the suspect in the murders was a local resident.

    During the hearing, Harrison also asked Bryan about the number of confessions to the murders, specifically that of Daleville native Johnny Williams Barrentine, who was arrested a month after the murders of Beasley and Hawlett. At the time of his arrest,

    Barrentine was charged with only two counts of capital murder and was said to have killed the girls because they turned him down for sex, according to Daleville Sun-Courier archives, which also show that an “alleged admission” led to Barrentine moving forward to a grand jury after a preliminary hearing where Emery also represented the state.

    Barrentine was later released on $200,000 bond after being denied bond twice before, according to Sun-Courier archives. The grand jury then found there was not sufficient evidence to indict Barrentine.

    Bryan initially said he did not remember much about the arrest of Barrentine, but later stated he recalled the charges were dropped because of several details, including Barrentine confessing to lying about killing the two girls.

    Harrison also asked Bryan several times if McCraney asked for a lawyer during the interrogation performed by the OPD. Harrison referenced several time stamps, from 3:58 p.m. to 4:47 p.m., where he said McCraney asked law enforcement about a lawyer.

    Bryan said McCraney referenced a lawyer, asking if one was there. Bryan said he told McCraney there was not a lawyer at the OPD, and he said McCraney did not specifically ask for a lawyer until later in the interrogation.

    Harrison asked if Bryan told McCraney that a lawyer “can’t change the facts,” to which Bryan replied that a lawyer could not change the facts.

    Harrison also asked if McCraney was kept in the interrogation room for 27 hours, eight of which he was in handcuffs. Bryan replied that McCraney was given bathroom breaks and was offered food. Bryan described the treatment as better than that of the Dale County Jail.

    Bryan also said McCraney was given a mat to use to sleep on the floor. He also confirmed that the morning of March 16, Chief Walker removed McCraney from the interrogation room to give him a change of environment.

    Later, OPD Chief Walker, when questioned by McCraney’s other defense attorney Scarborough, stated that he met with McCraney on Saturday morning, March 16, after being told Coley had not eaten anything. He said he wanted him to eat, so he took him to a conference room in the station and offered him food.

    He said he and McCraney did not talk about the case, but only “talked about basketball, football, things of that nature.”

    When asked about DNA evidence and where it was held, Walker also told Scarborough that the Alabama Department of Forensic Science in Montgomery initially kept the biological evidence, or DNA evidence, and any excess was sent back to the OPD to be kept in the evidence room.

    Walker told Scarborough he reached out to Parabon NanoLabs Inc., the company famously associated with California’s Golden State Killer case, in August 2018. He said the company provided him with information about the company and its process, and he decided to seek their help.

    He told Scarborough the DNA evidence was sent to the company through FedEx.

    Scarborough asked Walker why he thought his “former counterpart” would state that “rape is not a motive” regarding this case. Walker said he was not familiar with this statement.

    Scarborough also asked Walker about the charges against Barrentine. Walker said he did not know if Barrentine was charged with rape.

    After the hearing, Garner stated that he did find probable cause for each of the five complaints against McCraney and bound him over to a grand jury based on the DNA evidence.

    http://www.southeastsun.com/dalevill...357476055.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Judge denies bail for Coley McCraney

    By Lance Griffin
    Dothan Eagle

    The suspect in the 1999 murders of Dothan teens Tracie Hawlett and J.B. Beasley will remain in jail after a Dale County judge denied his request for bail.

    District Judge Stan Garner, Jr. filed his ruling Friday morning, determining that the state has met its burden by producing “clear and strong” evidence that meets criteria for denial of bail in a capital murder case.

    Setting bail in a capital murder case is extremely rare, but not unprecedented.

    Court documents indicate McCraney’s case will be presented to a Dale County grand jury next week. The grand jury can choose to indict or “no bill” the case, which means to choose not to bring charges. It is not currently known when the determination of the grand jury will be made public.

    In his ruling, Garner determined that consideration of bail would be premature.

    “A trial on the merits of these cases has not yet taken place. In fact, the evidence against Coley McCraney has not yet even been presented to a Grand Jury. At this time, it is only for this court to determine whether the State of Alabama has produced clear and strong evidence that meets the criteria set forth by the Alabama Supreme Court for denial of bail in a capital case. Based on the evidence currently before it, this court concludes that the State has done so. It would not be appropriate for this court to comment further on a pending criminal case,” Garner wrote in his ruling.

    McCraney is charged with the 1999 murders of the two teens after police say a DNA testing technique revealed his DNA matched DNA found on one of the victims.

    Garner further summarized evidence presented at a preliminary hearing and bond hearing:

    » “The defendant’s military records indicate he possessed a Hi-point 9mm pistol, a weapon consistent with the type the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences determined was utilized to shoot each of the two victims.”

    » “The defendant resided within a short walking distance of both the area where the victims were last seen alive and where their bodies were ultimately discovered a few hours later.”

    » “The defendant relocated to another residence shortly after the bodies were discovered.”

    Attorneys for McCraney dispute the assertion he possessed a Hi-point 9mm pistol and claim McCraney’s military records indicate an incident report shows the gun was possessed by another person. McCraney’s attorneys have filed a motion with the court to strike testimony related to McCraney’s alleged possession of the pistol.

    https://www.dothaneagle.com/news/cri...b42eff229.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  7. #7
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    Judge denies motion to strike military records from Coley McCraney’s murder cases

    By Michelle Forehand
    Dothan Eagle

    A Dale County judge won’t exclude a military record of a man charged with the 20-year-old murders of two Dothan teenagers.

    Judge Stanley Garner Jr. issued an order Wednesday, June 5, denying the defense attorney’s request to strike Exhibit 4, the military records of Coley McCraney, who is charged in the 1999 murders of Tracie Hawlett and J.B. Beasley.

    Exhibit 4 is an incident/complaint report from the security police at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi, dated April 11, 1994.

    The complaint was filed by Zappharie L. McCraney, who was then married to McCraney. She claimed McCraney assaulted her and confined her in a room along with her baby while he was stationed at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi.

    Mrs. McCraney approached an entry gate to Keesler Air Force Base on April 11, 1994, claiming she had been struck by Coley McCraney with a gun and gun magazine. According to the incident report, law enforcement indicated a sergeant noted an area on her head where her hair appeared to have been pulled out and a bruise that was forming on her left cheek. She later filed a written statement in which she indicated she was locked in a room with her baby after being struck with the magazine of a Hi-Point 9mm handgun.

    Police investigated the incident and located Coley McCraney and a civilian walking near the McCraney residence. Six 9mm rounds and a broken 9mm magazine were found on the civilian and a Buck knife was found on McCraney. The civilian was charged with trespassing and McCraney was charged with aggravated assault, assault consummated by battery upon a child under 16, unlawful detention and possession of a concealed weapon.

    McCraney was placed in pre-trial confinement. Documents related to the resolution of the case were not included in court filings. The Dothan Eagle has filed a records request with the U.S. Air Force related to the case, but the request has not yet been acknowledged.

    The two divorced in 1998.

    Defense Attorney David Harrison filed the motion to strike on May 30, stating in his motion the court heard the evidence and saw the document labeled Exhibit 4, and the evidence was the civilian Ferrod McDaniels had possession of the 9mm gun and not McCraney.

    Garner denied the motion, stating the report mentioned in Harrison’s motion was documented by the state and that it was admitted into evidence at a preliminary hearing without any objection from the defendant.

    McCraney’s case is scheduled to go before a grand jury June 6.

    https://www.dothaneagle.com/news/cri...835188189.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Dale County grand jury indicts Coley McCraney on five capital murder counts

    By Michelle Forehand
    Dothan Eagle

    Defense Attorney Andrew Scarborough and Dale County District Attorney Kirke Adams confirmed Monday a Dale County grand jury has indicted Coley McCraney on five counts of capital murder.

    McCraney was arrested earlier this year and charged with capital murder in the 1999 shooting deaths of Dothan teens J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett.

    Adams and Scarborough declined to comment further.

    McCraney faces three capital murder charges for J.B. Beasley, and two capital murder charges for Tracie Hawlett. His charges stem from DNA test results performed by Parabon Labs in Virginia, which matched McCraney's DNA to evidence collected from the 1999 crime scene.

    Results were also confirmed by the Alabama state lab.

    If convicted, McCraney faces either life in prison without parole or death. Adams previously told the Dothan Eagle he would seek a dealth penalty upon conviction.

    An indictment indicates the grand jury believes enough evidence exists to move the case toward a trial. It is not meant to insinuate guilt.

    Scarborough and David Harrison, defense attorneys who represent McCraney, believe their client is innocent of the murder charges. McCraney has professed his innocence through attorneys and his wife.

    Harrison previously stated in a press conference his client’s DNA only proved he knew one of the victims, and that the DNA did not prove he murdered the two girls.

    The case now enters the discovery phase, where the prosecution must share evidence with the defense. It is not known how long the discovery phase of the case will last.

    McCraney is the first person indicted in the 20-year-old case. Another person, Johnny William Barrentine, was arrested in September of 1999, but released on bond when Barrentine's DNA did not match DNA from evidence collected at the crime scene. His case was presented to a grand jury in January of 2000, but the grand jury chose not to indict.

    https://www.dothaneagle.com/news/cri...c44d34c1f.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Prosecutors seek broad gag order and closed proceedings in Coley McCraney’s capital murder case

    By Michelle Forehand
    Dothan Eagle

    Prosecutors in a high-profile Dale County capital murder case are asking a judge to curtail pre-trial publicity.

    According to court documents, Dale County Assistant District Attorney David Emery asked the court to take action to control pretrial publicity in the case involving Coley McCraney, who is charged with capital murder in the 1999 deaths of Dothan teens J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett.

    Emery contends the goal of the motion is to preserve a neutral jury pool in Dale County. Without judicial intervention, the motion states, it appears that the prospective jury pool will be saturated with thoughts and opinions regarding the facts and nature of this case before a trial begins.

    Emery suggested the court consider excluding the public and print and electronic media from all pretrial hearings, prohibit all attorneys, parties, witnesses, law enforcement personnel and court personnel from releasing information in any form to any agent or employee of any news media, directing that all records and transcripts pertaining to McCraney’s case be sealed until a jury is impaneled, prohibit the use of video or other cameras in court proceedings, and establish clear and precise court order limits.

    Defense attorneys David Harrison and Andrew Scarborough have filed a motion objecting the state’s request.

    Harrison and Scarborough claim the prosecution has publicly released all of the aforementioned statements and evidence and has actively participated in the saturation and contamination of the jury pool in this case, and maintains that the U.S. Constitution and Alabama Constitution consider public trials as one of the safeguards to the due process guaranteed to every citizen.

    The defense also claims prosecutors filed the motion as a hindrance to the defense and its ability to impanel an impartial jury.

    An order has not been issued at this time.

    https://www.dothaneagle.com/news/cri...7c2aa25d2.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Agreement reached to keep McCraney hearings open to press, public

    By WSFA News Staff

    DALE COUNTY, Ala. (WSFA) - An agreement has been reached that will allow news outlets and the public to be in the courtroom for capital murder suspect Coley McCraney’s pretrial hearings.

    In June, Gray Television, the parent company of WSFA 12 News, joined the Alabama Broadcasts Association, the Alabama Press Association and the Dothan Eagle in filing a motion after prosecutors asked a judge to block news outlets and the public from the hearings.

    Prosecutors said they were concerned pretrial publicity could taint the jury pool. Defense lawyers said they considered it unconstitutional.

    McCraney faces capital murder charges in the deaths of Dothan teens J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett in 1999.

    https://www.wsfa.com/2019/07/26/agre...-press-public/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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