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Coley McCraney, 49, has been found guilty of the murders of 17-year-olds J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett. Both teenagers were reportedly shot and killed after getting lost on their way home from Beasley's birthday party on the night of July 31, 1999. Their bodies were found in the trunk of Beasley's vehicle.
On April 26, the Dale County jury found Coley McCraney guilty of two counts of capital murder- shooting into an occupied vehicle, capital murder of two or more people, and capital murder during the course of another felony (r*pe). McCraney was indicted in 2019 for the murders. While he did face the possibility of death penalty, the jury recommended life in prison without parole instead, as per WSFA.
The two girls were reported missing after leaving Beasley's birthday party on the night of July 31. The high-profile cold case remained unsolved for over 20 years until DNA evidence was revealed that implicated Coley McCraney. As per reports, prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in the case.
Coley McCraney convicted more than 2 decades after the murders: Back and forth during the trial
Coley McCraney from Ozark, Alabama, who was a truck driver in his mid-twenties at the time of the murders, was identified as a suspect after DNA evidence produced by Parabon NanoLabs tied him to the crime. The Ozark Police Department matched his DNA to that found on Beasley’s body and arrested him once it was a match, Law&Crime reported.
During the trial, prosecutors argued that McCraney was the last person seen with the girls, and that they were found dead in the trunk of Beasley’s Mazda 929 on Herring Avenue in Ozark, which McCarney had access to.
They also pointed out the fact that Coley McCraney's DNA was found on Beasley. To this, Coley McCraney claimed that he had consensual s*x with Beasley on the night of the murders.
As per Law&Crime, McCraney further stated that he knew the girls, having met them at a local mall a couple of months before they were killed. He claimed that they had all planned to meet up on the night of the murders, but Beasley was late and so he decided to go home to wait for a phone call from her.
On his way home, his car's alternator gave out at a gas station, following which he saw Beasley and Hawlett, who gave him a ride to another gas station, where he reportedly had s*x with Beasley in the back of the car. He then said that the girls dropped him back home.
However, prosecutors maintained that Coley McCraney never planned for the three to meet, adding that the girls were simply lost and were planning to go to another party. After the two phoned Hawlett’s parents at a gas station, the state argued that McCraney appeared with a gun and ordered the victims back into their car.
Prosecutors said that the defendant and the girls drove to a second location where he assaulted Beasley, put both the girls in the trunk and killed them with single shot to each of their heads.
Initially, investigators found no evidence of foul play except for the gunshot wounds on the teens' bodies. Their jewelry, purses, and money, were still intact, and forensic experts determined that neither girl had been assaulted.
Over the years, investigators have conducted more than 500 interviews, and tested the DNA of more than 70 potential suspects, AL.com reported.
A trial filled with twists and controversy
Coley McCraney, a local man with no prior criminal record now faces death penalty for the murders. However, the trial was not that straightforward and instead contained a lot of unexpected turns with allegations of police misconduct and witness recantations.
One of the key figures in the case was Johnny Barrentine, who was arrested shortly after the murders, but was released when a grand jury declined to indict him. Barrentine had initially claimed to have witnessed the murders in real time but gave conflicting information to investigators, Law&Crime reported.
Another key person was an ex-Ozark auxiliary officer, who alleged that an ex-OPD officer confessed to the killing in an inebriated state. However, the Ozark officer recanted these claims during the defense's pre-trial hearing in August 2022.
The defense attorney for Coley McCraney speculated that such recantation was due to pressure from the current Ozark police chief. However, the accused officers denied any conspiracy.
