Brioni Jamaal Rutland
Jeremy Leshun Williams
Man arrested in death of Alabama high school football coach
BY VICTORIA TAYLOR
THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
A 29-year-old man has been arrested on murder charges in connection with the death of a beloved Alabama high school football coach, authorities said.
Jeremy Leshun Williams, 29, was charged early Saturday, hours after the body of Brioni Jamaal Rutland was pulled from the Tennessee River, according to a post on the Florence Police Department’s Facebook page.
Rutland, 27, was a former Deshler High School football star who had returned to the school as a volunteer football, track and basketball coach. He had been missing since Tuesday, AL.com reported.
Police said it is possible Rutland was stabbed or shot and then tossed from the deck of the Old Railroad Bridge in Sheffield, according to the TimesDaily.
Officials also said concrete blocks were seen chained to Rutland’s body when it was removed from the river.
“We know he was weighed down, so this was not a suicide or accident,” Sheffield Police Chief Greg Ray told the TimesDaily.
There was a lot of blood found on the bridge, which suggests that Rutland was either killed on the deck or dragged there so the killer could discard the body, Ray said.
“In my 31 years as a police officer, investigator and administrator, this is one of the most brutal crimes I’ve seen,” Tuscumbia Police Chief Tony Logan told the TimesDaily.
Authorities said there was blood on the deck of the Old Railroad Bridge above where they found Rutland’s body.
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities said they hope the autopsy will fill answer some of the remaining questions.
Meanwhile, members of the Deshler High School community were heartbroken and shocked by the news, football coach John Mothershed told the paper.
“Brioni had his future right in front of him,” he said.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crim...icle-1.1533653
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