Police thought that location by the river might provide more clues. I was never worried, never, because I was innocent. They were childhood friends, spending a lot of time together at church. Can we really give her peace? Te compartimos la lista completa de todos los ganadores de este ao. Dawn Beasley: And she said, "well, how do you know he's innocent?" BROTHERCOLEY MCCRANEY (GOD HAS YOU & THE FAMILY AS WELL), James Lee Fuller wrote on Facebook. Maureen Maher: There are quite a few people who said that they saw you being abusive to Tracey. Ozark Map. First published on January 23, 2021 / 11:09 PM. NewsBreak provides latest and breaking Ozark, AL local news, weather forecast, crime and safety reports, traffic updates, event notices, sports, entertainment, local life and other items of interest in the community and nearby towns. Dawn met Jeff shortly after he was released from prison, having served four years for burglary and escape attempts. In March of 2021, the Dothan Police. Was that a concern for you as you were preparing a defense? But police and prosecutors did not believe it was an accident, and Jeff Beasley was charged with the murder of Tracey Harris. Maureen Maher: Does that strike you as odd? And they remained confident that Carl was their man. He maintained his innocence, even after being told he failed the polygraph. Maureen Maher: Did she talk to you about it at all? One particularly heinous crime, a 1989 stabbing death, had attracted the The upcoming 20th anniversary, along with the April 2018 arrest of Golden State Killer suspect Joseph James DeAngelo, prompted the police department to send evidence from the crime scene to Parabon Labs, a Reston, Virginia, company that provides DNA phenotype services, Walker said. Authorities dropped charges against an Alabama man who was accused of killing his wife 30 years ago, saying another man has confessed to the murder. Their daughter, Carolyn, was born a few months later. Maureen Maher: Did you feel badly at all that he was under such scrutiny and suspicion? And I said," well, I know he's a rat bastard." On the eve of Carl Harris trial, Dale County prosecutor Jordon Davis discovered that investigators had accused the wrong man. And I can't forgive him if he can't be man enough to look at me and tell me what he did and that he's sorry for it. 1 suspect had not changed. The violent crime rate in Ozark is 1,030.8 per 100,000 people. DA KIRKE ADAMS [to reporters]: - I have dismissed the murder case against Carl Harris. He faces life in prison or the death penalty if convicted. Carl Harris: No. Jordan Davis: I think it was extremely difficult for her to come forward. Carl Harrison, with his attorney David Harrison, filed notice that he plans to sue the City of Ozark for $6 million for damages including false imprisonment, and pain and suffering. Dart. I wonder what she looks like. 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. Pinocchio was the first winner of the night, presented And I think when they reopened the case, they were just trying to prove Carl did it, not look for anybody else. Jordan Davis Right I was aggravated I simply got a subpoena ready, and we gave it to our investigators the next day. "She was a very sweet friend a very shy person," said friend Selina Dodson. Their bodies were discovered about 20 miles from Dothan in Ozark, a small town in the southeastern part of the . He is being held at the Dale County jail without bond, according to his jail records. But the fact is she could have kept that secret for forever. Kirke Adams: The goal was to find the truth and to seek justice for Tracy Harris, and ultimately Dawn did that. Coley McCraney has been charged with murder in the 1999 deaths of two teen girls, JB Beasley and Tracie Hawlett, in Ozark, Alabama, thanks to DNA and a genealogy website. Carolyn spoke with the sheriff, who put her in touch with the Ozark Police Department. Alabama My Chances of Becoming a Victim of a Violent Crime 1 in 341 in Ozark 1 in 168 in Alabama Ozark VIOLENT CRIMES Population: 14,313 United States VIOLENT CRIMES Population: 331,888,310 Property Crime Property Crime Comparison (per 1,000 residents) 100 75 50 25 0 22.71 25.85 National Median: 19 More recently, McCraney was listed on the Facebook page of H.O.G. You guys don't want me to testify.". Coley McCraney is an Alabama native. Everything Everywhere All at Once won the top prize at the 2023 PGA Awards. Everyone in town was talking about it. Finally, more than three years after Carl's arrest, the trial was scheduled for January 13, 2020. You have permission to edit this article. Only you know. (334) 445-0156. Genetic genealogy allows law enforcement agencies to identify a potential suspect through his or her family members who voluntarily submit their DNA to a genealogy database, allowing investigators to create a larger family tree than in years past. Maureen Maher: What's different in 2016 that wasn't there or obvious in 1990? I did my grocery shopping and I'm in the milk section and there's a couple standing there talking about it. Tracie Hawlett and J.B. Beasley, both 17, were found shot to death in the trunk of Beasley's car in Ozark on Aug. 1, 1999, according to reports. When they hadn't made it back by dawn, Roberts called police. Carolyn Aznavour: I have tried to piece it together that's what I do -- I try to piece everything together and make it all make sense. He died Wednesday. She could have come up here and -- she could have lied on the stand. Originally set for trial in November 2020, the case was continued due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That's my ex-husband, Jeff Beasley. Can we really solve this for Carolyn? Your chance of being a victim of crime in Ozark may be as high as 1 in 16 in the southeast neighborhoods, or as low as 1 in 35 in the southwest part of the city. On August 19th, 2021, Carl Harris filed his lawsuit against the City of Ozark. Carolyn Aznavour: It's a relief that we found somebody. In 2019, as the 20th anniversary of the murders approached, the Ozark Police Department decided to re-open the case and try a new approach to solve it. Ozark might have been the county seat, but it didn't take off until Fort Rucker was established in 1941. About a dozen witnesses gave investigators statements describing Carl Harris's physical abuse of Traceysomething Carl denies. Meanwhile, the prosecutors, on the Friday before the start of the trial, were also processing what Dawn had just told them. He worked as a bouncer, in construction, had a girlfriend and another daughter. I talked to Tracey. They married in her senior year in 1986. Lourdes Aguiar is the senior producer. A Dothan woman has been charged with assaulting a police officer, according to a Dothan Police Department news release. Carolyn Aznavour: She was like the best. Jordan Davis: I don't think there was one particular motive. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Dawn Beasley revealed to ADA Jordan Davis that her ex-husband was Tracey Harris' killer. He graduated from Carroll High School in 1992, where he was the president of the library club and was an athlete, according to WDHN-TV. Maureen Maher: Do you wonder what your mom would be like today? Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. "I never talked about it ever to another living soul, not even Jeff," Dawn Beasley said of her ex-husband's confession the night Tracey died. DOB: Tracie Hawlett - 17 years of age; J.B. Beasley - July 31, 1982 Last Seen: July 31, 1999 at the Big/Little Convenience Store located at 763 East Broad Street in Ozark, Alabama Case Details (Courtesy of What Lies Beyond): Tracie and J.B. had been headed to a party near Midland City and Headland the night before (July 31, 1999). Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Carl Harris: I thought it was good news I thought they found somebody they were looking at And when they told me they was looking at me as a suspect again they came up two weeks later, arresting me. The picture Carl painted of a happy home though was not what police found when they started questioning friends and family. '", Assistant D.A. We had a fight. The real life killer was the member of a popular trio of brothers. Carolyn Aznavour: And there was one lady. And that's what I need. MONTGOMERY Kenneth Glasgow, a Dothan pastor and founder of the Christian-based nonprofit The Ordinary People Society, pleaded guilty Friday . Online records show McCraney, a married Dothan, Ala., man with children, was booked into the Dale County Jail on five counts of capital murder and one count of rape. But Now, sitting here I think that maybe he hit on her, maybe she rebuffed his advances, maybe she said, "I'm going to tell her." Cole McCraney was sued in a paternity case in September 1998 and was ordered to submit his DNA by a judge on July 30, 1999, just a day before the killings, according to court documents obtained by the Dothan Eagle. Along with his attorney David Harrison, they held their own press conference. She was terrified of water. One of their purses was found in the front of the car with all of her cash and credit cards inside, leading police to believe that the motive was not a robbery, WDHN reported. A week later, her body was found in the Choctawhatchee River, a few miles from her home in Ozark, Alabama. They had planned to attend a party near Headland on the night of July 31 but got lost and were last heard from when Hawlett called her mother from Ozark to let her know they were on their way home. Walker said they decided to send in the evidence, which was semen found on Beasleys clothes, after the arrest of the Golden State Killer suspect in California and with the 20th anniversary of the girls deaths upcoming this summer. Mailing Address: P.O. David Harrison: Never, never. Because the credibility of the people that were going to testify they had no credibility, none whatsoever. Selina Dodson: Tracey and Carl started dating when we were probably 16, 17 years old. A judge pushed back the trial of Coley McCraney until 20-21 due to COVID-19 . We have a little bit of everything. According to our research of Alabama and other state lists, there were 86 registered sex offenders living in Ozark, Alabama as of February 21, 2023. Dawn Beasley: I told Jordan, I have given you completely honest reasons why I don't want to testify, but the most important reason I can't testify is because you have an innocent man on trial. I think that he was jealous of their success. Daveed Diggs kicked off the show with opening comments. I walked out, and I do remember the sense of relief because I hadn't actually had to lie. Jordan Davis: We were mortified that we were that close to putting the wrong man on trial. Jury selection in the . she felt like if she could just get through the rough stuff, you know, that it would be OK. As prosecutors prepared for trial, Dawn Beasley's statement from 1990, not followed up on, caught prosecutor Jordan Davis' attention. Dale County District Attorney Kirke Adams and Assistant DA Jordan Davis spent years building a case against Carl Harris for the murder of his ex-wife, Tracey. Then, in 2015, an Ozark Police cold case unit took another look at Tracey's murder, and again zeroed in on Carl. Man Whose First Wife Died Mysteriously Is Wanted in the Murder of His Second Wife. Kirke Adams: Every witness we spoke with, she could not swim. Coley McCraney in an undated police photo. For 16 years, the murders, which took place around the area of Ozark, Alabama, have remained unsolved, but now a startling new story from someone "in the know" has the finger of blame pointed at an Ozark Police Officer. INVESTIGATOR: And when do you think he said that? I think its incompetence We're talking about an innocent man. Wings, burgers, pizzas & steaks. Dawn, about to celebrate her 21st birthday the next day, was pregnant with her first child. It was not clear Sunday if McCraney had an attorney. Maureen Maher: There are a lot of people who are going to say, maybe she should be charged with something. Dwellics analytics team assigned the score 76.8 to Ozark, Alabama (with 100 being the best). Carl and Tracey Harris with their daughter Carolyn. Jordan Davis: They had a statement from Dawn and that was things that they had witnessed while living in the home together. The missing person case became a homicide, and Ozark police started interviewing those close to Tracey and her ex-husband Carl, with whom she still lived. Maureen Maher: Were you ever concerned that you might get into trouble having not gone to the police right from the beginning? Carl Harris: No, ma'am, I never said that. Of those, 17 were quickly excused for different reasons. Produced by Ruth Chenetz. Online bankruptcy court records from the time are not available online. Dale County District Attorney's Office/CBS News. Carl claims through the years he occasionally called authorities to ask about the investigation, but they say otherwise. "I have tried to piece it together that's what I do -- I try to piece everything together and make it all make sense," said Carolyn Aznavour, Tracey Harris' daughter. Jordan Davis: I thought, wow she's coming up with a crazy story as to why she can't get here. OZARK, Ala. (AP) A truck-driving preacher accused of killing two teenage girls from Alabama nearly 20 years ago was found with the same genealogy database techniques used to apprehend the suspected "Golden State Killer" last year. Dawn claims Jeff became abusive. Beasley pleaded guilty and received a 30-year sentence. Her death was ruled a homicide. Carl was believed to have been the last person to see Tracey, picking her up the night she disappeared from the restaurant where she worked as a waitress. And he flew into a rage. McCraney was indicted in June 2019. OZARK, Ala. (WTVY) - A woman who had accused Ozark police of covering up the murder of two teens to protect one of their own recanted those claims in explosive testimony on Thursday. He has yet to be indicted in the case . OZARK, Ala. (WTVY) -A man wrongfully charged in the cold case murder of his estranged wife has filed a $6 million lawsuit against the city of Ozark. Within hours, family friend Jeff Beasley confessed and charges against Harris were dropped. Jordan Davis: He did have a 17-year-old girlfriend at the time who several people said he had had conversations with about marrying her, but that she couldn't -- he couldn't leave Tracey because he'd have to pay child support. But Dawn was willing to overlook his criminal past, and the information about killing Tracey, as they married and started their own family, keeping the secret to themselves. and the realization that, perhaps, her boyfriend was a murderer. The prosecutors also visited the area around the river where Tracey's body was found. Q: Do people have the right to take your picture and publish it without your permission? Police in Ozark, Alabama, arrested Jeff Beasley . Emergency: Dial 911. In this April 2, 2019, photo, Coley McCraney shakes hands with his attorney David Harrison as he enters the Dale County Courthouse before a preliminary hearing. "The evidence was circumstantially strong," said Adams. McCraney was eventually ordered to pay $243 in back child support and $50 per month after that to catch up. 0. Cops investigating the deaths of high school seniors Tracie Hawlett and J.B. Beasley in Ozark, Ala., got a break when DNA and a search of apublic genealogy website linked Coley McCraney, 45, to the crime, local media reported. I know a bad one from a good one, and they never had a shot with this case. Staggering snowfall in California mountains leaves residents trapped for days, Garland testifies before Senate panel amid ongoing special counsel probes, Colon cancer rates rising in younger age group, study finds, Firefighter dies battling blaze in downtown Buffalo, mayor says, Several hospitalized after Lufthansa flight diverted to Dulles due to turbulence, Explosive found in checked luggage at Pennsylvania airport, feds say, Prosecution wraps its case at Alex Murdaugh murder trial, Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother, Ex-Georgia star Jalen Carter was racing in deadly crash, arrest warrants allege, Tracey Harris, 22, was a young mother from Ozark, Alabama. 1980 murder . After the evidence was analyzed at Parabon, investigators recognized McCraney's last name from the DNA search, Walker said. But then in the back of my mind, I'm like, was it really him? this is about Carl and Tracey Harris.". What we thought was interesting was that she had witnessed it in the same manner as how Tracey was actually killed. It is a trial that was supposed to take place in 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it didn't. So, Monday was his first day where he met the jury for the first time. Dawn Beasley: It was unbelievable to me that I should end up with this incredible secret. Richard Barber, Ken Blum and Michelle Harris are the editors. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! I do think about that all the time. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Carl made Tracey miserable. Complementing the city's inviting business climate and tax structure is a workforce equipped with career training from Ozark's educational institutions and those within commuting . Crime Tips HOTline 334-774-2335 or Submit Via Email. Dawn says she worried, yet life proceeded, mostly, as if nothing had happened. McCraney was arrested March 16 and booked into jail about 6:30 p.m. McCraney is expected to appear in court on Monday. Kirke Adams: But it doesn't mean anything at that time because on the statement Dawn's name was Dawn Hulbert. Based mostly on statements from the interviews originally done back in 1990, an investigator from the Ozark police put together this scenario of what he thought happened the night Tracey went missing: "It was determined that Carl Harris left his job at Super Food [sic], sometime around 9 p.m. and went to his home Carl Harris jumped on top of Tracey Harris and began chocking [sic] her Carl Harris then placed her seemingly dead body into his vehicle and subsequently drove her to the Choctawhatchee River and placed her body into the water.". Jeff Beasley confesses to the 1990 murder of Tracey Harris. Selina Dodson and Tracey were about 11 years old when baptized. Maureen Maher: What was the cost going to be, if you went to the police? Prosecutors Kirke Adams and Jordan Davis spent more than three delay-filled years putting together their case, seeking justice for Tracey Harris. Dawn Beasley: Tracey and I were a lot alike. You can cancel at any time. iDawn Beasley told police in 1990 that she had witnessed Carl abuse Tracey and that Carl threatened to kill Tracey in front of her. Maureen Maher: Did it feel like you were lying, though, by not telling them? The defense also offered up an alternate suspect: that friend police say Carl picked up the night Tracey disappeared named Bobby Herring. all the ones that they could find, they got back in touch with. Dawn Beasley: Every time I would have a police officer get behind me I would wonder is this where we're all of a sudden they know what's happening. Carolyn Aznavour: I knew my mom was murdered And then, as the years went on, I found out it had to do with my dad. 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