They learned that while Tracey might have enjoyed spending time by the river, she would never have gone in the river. WASHINGTON COLD CASE SOLVED 51 YEARS LATER ONLY FOR COPS TO DISCOVER SUSPECT DIED LAST WEEK; MAY BE INVOLVED IN 2 OTHER KILLINGS, Some days you go to work, get home and tears start. Jordan Davis: I was actually 3 when this happened, so from 1990 -- and we're trying to track down witnesses We were dealing with people that had moved all over the country. McCraney has also been involved in local churches in the Dothan and Ozark area. She and her soon-to-be husband Jeff, who worked construction with Carl, lived with the Harrises for about a month. Carl Harris heard the news that he was a free man from his attorney. Get instant notifications on top stories from News 4 by downloading our mobile apps. 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. Standard Hours. Dawn Beasley: He threatened to kill her in front of me And I intervened. 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. Show All. The couple had recently divorced, and Carl had a girlfriend. A judge pushed back the trial of Coley McCraney until 20-21 due to COVID-19 . I'm telling him, "let her go.". Police received the DNA match about three weeks ago. Dawn Beasley: He said he took her down to the river because he didn't want them to come home and find her body. The area around the river was a place Tracey and her friends would get together. A local news outlet reports Circuit Judge William H. Filmore has set May 2, 2022, as the start for the trial of 47-year-old Coley McCraney, who [] Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. ", The Choctawhatchee River was several miles away from Tracey Harris' house. Dawn Beasley [crying]: I should have been sorry for Carolyn and I was sorry for me. Wings, burgers, pizzas & steaks. The capital murder trial of a trucker charged with killing two Alabama teens in 1999 has been delayed until next year. Kirke Adams: There's a lot of graffiti under this bridge -- a lot of names as well. Prosecutors Kirke Adams and Jordan Davis spent more than three delay-filled years putting together their case, seeking justice for Tracey Harris. They just never asked me, "who do you think did it?" January 23, 2021 CBS's '48 Hours: The 30-Year Secret - The Tracey Harris Murder,' as the title suggests, is an episode that examines how the brutal 1990 slaying of Tracey Harris, an Ozark, Alabama, native, was solved three decades after it transpired when a witness revealed a secret that baffled the local community to its core. Ozark is a town in Alabama with a population of 14,396. 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 said, "you're ruining my life and you don't understand why. A 45-year-old man has been arrested in the 1999 cold case rape and murder of two teen girls in Ozark, Alabama. Selina Dodson: Tracey and Carl started dating when we were probably 16, 17 years old. Richard Barber, Ken Blum and Michelle Harris are the editors. She got mad at me. In March of 2021, the Dothan Police. A Dothan woman has been charged with assaulting a police officer, according to a Dothan Police Department news release. McCraney was eventually ordered to pay $243 in back child support and $50 per month after that to catch up. Many retirees live in Ozark and residents tend to have moderate political views. Ozark is a city in Alabama state in USA with a population of 14350 residents..The poverty rate of Ozark is 19.6%, which is 40% higher than national average. McCraney was arrested Friday and charged with multiple counts of capital murder as well as first-degree rape, online jail records show. In a recent Minnesota case, police waited for the suspect to throw away a napkin after eating a hot dog at a youth hockey game. David Harrison: Never, never. The brother Robin lives in the house now that . He served from 1993 to 1997. Ozark continued to grow, and by the 1980s serious crime had arrived. While attorney David Harrison praises Davis pursuit of justice, he claims shoddy police work created the messy situation, though a grand jury indicted Harris. Could he have really done this? The two teens, students at Northview High school in Dothan, were headed to a party on July 31, 1999, but got lost and ended up about 20 miles northwest in Ozark after they confused the directions, ABC Dothan affiliate WDHN reported. When they hadn't made it back by dawn, Roberts called police. To prepare for trial, investigators went back to the scene where Tracey Harris' body was found. Dawn and Jeff would have another child. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. 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. Tracey won't be home. Barrentine later told police he made up stories to get reward money. Carl Harris: It just blows my mind. Maureen Maher: Were you worried that there was some new piece of evidence that they had? His attorneys have requested documents related to Ozark Police Department officers and the girls' deaths, and they will make their case for access in a hearing scheduled for Monday. Among those who police went back and interviewed -- an acquaintance of Tracey and Carl's, and Tracey's aunt: WOMAN: He said, "the police are so dumb, I can kill somebody and get away with it.". Dawn refused to come, saying she was too busy. I wonder what she's doing. 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. She was terrified of water. Kirke Adams: I knew we couldn't have a trial Monday because we had to figure out what's going on here. "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. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. This is a dispute over proceeds from a life insurance policy issued to Tullie R. Culverhouse, Sr., by Alfa Life Insurance Company ("Alfa"). / CBS News, [This story first aired on January 24, 2021.It was updated on August 21.]. Jordan Davis: They had a statement from Dawn and that was things that they had witnessed while living in the home together. All rights reserved. But no arrest was made, and the case went cold. Coley McCraney was identified a suspect in the deaths of J.B. Beasley and Tracie. Dawn Beasley: One time (we were sitting at the table and) she told Carl, hey, listen, I'm going to need some money for the water bill. Legal Statement. Can we really give her peace? He is an Alabama native and has lived in the area in the years since the murders, according to court records. 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. DA KIRKE ADAMS [to reporters]: - I have dismissed the murder case against Carl Harris. I wouldn't. Produced by Ruth Chenetz. Selina Dodson and Tracey were about 11 years old when baptized. Tullie's son, Jason Hunter Culverhouse ("Hunter"), a named beneficiary under the Alfa policy, filed a claim for the proceeds . 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. DNA leads to arrest in cold case murders of two Alabama girls. About a dozen witnesses gave investigators statements describing Carl Harris's physical abuse of Traceysomething Carl denies. Harrison contends that Harris, who he represents, has suffered irreparable harm. The murder of the two teenagers was the obvious . 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. Maureen Maher: How do you react when the thing you want is justice for your mom, but it's your dad who's been charged with her murder? "What happened?" But Carolyn, who traveled to Ozark for every single hearing, was convinced of her father's guilt. Beasley pleaded guilty and received a 30-year sentence. Carolyn was just 4 years old when she lost her mom. He has children with his second wife and is shown in family pictures smiling with his kids. Dawn Beasley: I was going to have to throw my entire life away. It took Jordan several calls to wrong phone numbers to find Dawn Beasley. Maureen Maher: Did you feel badly at all that he was under such scrutiny and suspicion? Maureen Maher: What did people tell you about him? Then, in 2015, an Ozark Police cold case unit took another look at Tracey's murder, and again zeroed in on Carl. DNA has led to an arrest in the cold case murder of two Alabama girls, according to reports. " Carl Harris.". Their daughter, Carolyn, was born a few months later. Hawlett's mother, Carol Roberts, said in 2007 that the girls called her from a gas station, telling her they were on their way home, according to the local station. Kirke Adams: I think the major thing was getting these witnesses together, which is what we did for the grand jury presentation And once you heard those people It was very clear that Carl was violent. Tracie had called her parents to say she and J.B. were lost . And I said," well, I know he's a rat bastard." When determining if Ozark, Alabama is a safe place to live, we analyze factors including air quality, water quality, crime rates, natural disaster frequency, substance abuse rates, cancer . 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