The case drew nationwide attention and has been the subject of TV shows and documentaries over the years. EX- GIRLFRIEND: I was a young, naive teenager. Carl Harris: No, ma'am, I never said that. He had threatened Tracey. Dawn Beasley: And she said, "well, how do you know he's innocent?" They learned that while Tracey might have enjoyed spending time by the river, she would never have gone in the river. She was like Tracey. Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Dawn says she worried, yet life proceeded, mostly, as if nothing had happened. Maybe I write a letter. The number of homicides stood at 1 - a decrease of 2 compared to 2017. Her grandmother provided a loving a home and, Carolyn says, that was more than enough. Selina Dodson: A lot of people, you know, just assumed Carl would be arrested -- assumed he did it and were waiting for him to be arrested. The picture Carl painted of a happy home though was not what police found when they started questioning friends and family. But the fact is she could have kept that secret for forever. And as time went on, she did think about ways to tell authorities what she knew. 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. JEFF BEASLEY: I didn't, I didn't do this. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! 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. Dawn, who was pregnant at the time, and Tracey, a young mother, quickly became friends. As confident as the prosecution was, so was the defense. Jordan Davis: There was also several people that they found since then that he had made statements to that were incriminating. Maureen Maher: What did people tell you about him? Can we really solve this for Carolyn? The couple had recently divorced, and Carl had a girlfriend. "Tracey." she felt like if she could just get through the rough stuff, you know, that it would be OK. Most of all, he claims, Harris lost a relationship with his daughter who authorities took from his custody immediately after Tracey Harris funeral. 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.". You go to sleep crying, Carol Roberts said. 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 [] I wonder what she's doing. But Jeff Beasley should have raised some red flags for police; he had a criminal record. The Ozark time zone is Central Daylight Time which is 6 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). 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.". Please subscribe to keep reading. On the eve of his January 2020 trial, Dale County prosecutor Jordon Davis discovered that investigators had accused the wrong man. Selina Dodson: She was so scared of the water when she was baptized and she went under, she was hysterical. DOTHAN, Ala. ( WDHN) A Dothan man has been arrested for the alleged murder of his daughter after her skeletal remains were found near Ozark in February. She and her soon-to-be husband Jeff, who worked construction with Carl, lived with the Harrises for about a month. "48 Hours" wanted to ask Ozark police about the investigation, but they declined, citing the pending claim. Aug 3, 2008 Updated Mar 29, 2016. DA KIRKE ADAMS [to reporters]: - I have dismissed the murder case against Carl Harris. Dawn Beasley: Well, they asked me so what do you know about Carl Harris? But after it all happened, we just stopped seeing each other. 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. An Alabama preacher has been arrested for the 1999 cold case murders of two 17-year-old girls thanks to DNA testing, officials said Monday. Ozark Map. Ozark: Created by Bill Dubuque, Mark Williams. We tussled and I accidentally hurt her and now she's dead.". In other recent cases, a 44-year-old nursea was arrested in the 1993 cold case murder of an Alaska woman at a college, a 72-year-old retired grandfather was charged in the 1973 murder of an 11-year-old girl in California and in Minnesota, a 52-year-old father and well-known businessman was charged in the 1993 murder of a woman. Carole Roberts, Hawletts mother, told the news site the girls had stopped at a convenience store in Ozark and could not understand the directions home. Box 279 Ozark, AL 36361. And those who knew Tracey, did not believe she was having an affair. He was buried in a $25 suit and a cheap wooden box. 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 A man was arrested Saturday in the cold case killings of two 17-year-old Alabama girls 20 years ago one of Alabamashighest-profile cold cases, according to reports. I wouldn't. But some things in Beasley's story were not adding up. "Everybody thought I killed her. She looked like her and she had a personality like her. McCraney is listed on Facebook as a bishop at a local church and has also worked as a trucker. The couple had recently divorced at the time of her murder, Carl had a girlfriend and. Maureen Maher: Has there ever been a time that Carl Harris said, "I want you to find out who killed Tracey?". Show All. 69-year-old suffered stroke in his N.C. home; Realtor showing house left him there. I think that the domestic violence was definitely in the back of our heads But also, the 17-year-old girlfriend that he had. They had both been shot once in the head. Dawn Beasley: Yes She just wanted to be a family. Dawn Beasley: They asked me we need you to testify. The City-Data.com crime index weighs serious crimes and violent crimes more heavily. This is the moment. And maybe he freaked out and made sure she wasn't going to ruin his family. 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. One suspect, Johnny William Barrentine, was arrested after he implicated himself by placing himself at the crime scene during an interview with police. Dawn and Jeff would have another child. Carl Harris: It just blows my mind. I know he's innocent because the man that did commit the crime confessed it to me the night he did it. She was so modest. Updated: Mar 24, 2022 / 01:03 PM CDT. Dawn Beasley: We just pretended it never happened. 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). He confessed, claiming he and Tracey were having an affair. The 2018 Ozark crime rate fell by 16% compared to 2017. Parents and brother killed by Jason Hunter Culverhouse This Happen in a rural town called Ariton,Al.. Selina Dodson: When she had Carolyn, she was adorable everybody just loved her. BROTHERCOLEY MCCRANEY (GOD HAS YOU & THE FAMILY AS WELL), James Lee Fuller wrote on Facebook. Tullie's son, Jason Hunter Culverhouse ("Hunter"), a named beneficiary under the Alfa policy, filed a claim for the proceeds . That's my ex-husband, Jeff Beasley. Wings, burgers, pizzas & steaks. The church appears to hold services and community events at local places of worship around the Ozark area. Market data provided by Factset. But Carolyn, who traveled to Ozark for every single hearing, was convinced of her father's guilt. He had said "one of these days, I'm going to kill you." OZARK, Ala. - The wife of an Alabama man charged with capital murder in the slaying of two teenage girls nearly 20 years ago said Wednesday that he's innocent of the killings that terrified. Unsolved Wiregrass murders still a mystery. Because the credibility of the people that were going to testify they had no credibility, none whatsoever. Jeff Beasley confesses to the 1990 murder of Tracey Harris. While Ozark police questioned Dawn, they never got a statement from Jeff, even though they both spent time together living with the Harrises. Maureen Maher: But they maintain that the case was specifically built on the statements of all the people who said that they saw Carl being abusive to his wife, his strange behavior afterwards. It wasn't just stories about abuse that made law enforcement take a hard look at Carl there was that young girlfriend. I did my grocery shopping and I'm in the milk section and there's a couple standing there talking about it. The police then used other investigative techniques to confirm Coley McCraney was the suspect in the case. Seller, buyer, property location, total purchase price, date. 192 West Reynolds Street, Ozark, AL, 36360. "I think from the very get-go, there was only one suspect in this case " said Davis. Carolyn Aznavour: It's a relief that we found somebody. Email Map. He maintained his innocence, even after being told he failed the polygraph. They also went to the area under the bridge where people would sometimes gather. Living in Ozark offers residents a suburban rural mix feel and most residents own their homes. They soon left Ozark, hoping to start over, and moved to Texas. Heres what you need to know about Coley McCraney and the cold case murders of J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett: Family PhotoJB Beasley and Tracie Haweltt. Its hard, but I pray every day law enforcement will come up with some answers, Carol Roberts, Hawletts mother, said during a vigil marking 10 years since the murders, according to the Dothan Eagle. Everywhere I turn, they you know, you hear them whispering in background, 'there's the man that killed Tracey. The violent crime rate in Ozark is 1,030.8 per 100,000 people. Legal Statement. Jordan Davis: I don't think there was one particular motive. Kirke Adams: He also made comments prior to her going missing and after including come back whenever. David Harrison: This officer made this up to make this arrest. David Harrison: Never, never. Tracy Harris murder Pictured in a January 2016 Street View image is Woodham Bridge in Dale County, Alabama. 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. David Harrison: You can take all the statements of anybody you want to put together in this investigation here. Ozark might have been the county seat, but it didn't take off until Fort Rucker was established in 1941. 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 . Marlos Walker was dismissed as chief in July. FLORIDA AUTHORITIES ARREST MAN IN CONNECTION TO 1984 MURDER OF NAVY RECRUIT WHO WAS BEATEN AND STRANGLED. (334) 445-0156. Blankenship, who is Jordon Davis father, did not become mayor until after Harris had been cleared. A DNA match found through a genealogy website has led to an arrest in the killings of two teen girls nearly 20 years ago, Alabama authorities said. The remaining potential jurors were questioned individually about their knowledge of the case and their death penalty beliefs. Platinum Motors LLCU-Haul Neighborhood Dealer. 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. Still, Carolyn wondered about her mother wanting to know what really happened. Carl Harris heard the news that he was a free man from his attorney. Kirke Adams: There was nobody whose name had ever come up that had any reason to kill Tracey Harris. I was never worried, never, because I was innocent. With regards to property crime, you have a 1 in 24 chance of becoming a victim. He has children with his second wife and is shown in family pictures smiling with his kids. And so, Dawn made her decision. Prosecutors Kirke Adams and Jordan Davis spent more than three delay-filled years putting together their case, seeking justice for Tracey Harris. The pastor of the church wrote a message of support for McCraney and his family on the churchs Facebook page on Sunday, a day after his arrest, and a video showing they prayed for him at their service Sunday. 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