Murder case of Dothan teens bound over to grand jury

DALE COUNTY, AL (WSFA) - A Dale County judge has found probable cause to bound the murder case against Coley McCraney to a grand jury.

McCraney is accused of killing two Dothan teens, J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett, in 1999. Judge Stanley Garner determined during McCraney’s preliminary hearing that there was enough probable cause to send the case to a grand jury.

Coley McCraney during his preliminary hearing. Judge Stanley Garner determined there was... — Coley McCraney during his preliminary hearing. Judge Stanley Garner determined there was enough probable cause to send the murder case to a grand jury.(Source: WSFA 12 News)

Lt. Michael Bryan of the Ozark Police Department, the first witness at the hearing, testified to basic information in the case ranging from when the bodies were found to the head wounds sustained by the victims. The officer also said during the hearing that McCraney was arrested in 2004 on an unlawful weapons charge involving a 9 mm gun. The same type of weapon was used in the murders of Beasley and Hawlett.

Bryan said McCraney denied knowing Beasley and Hawlett after his arrest. During questioning by defense attorney David Harrison, Bryan testified investigators have no video or witnesses of the crime, and McCraney has not confessed to the murders.

Harrison said he is not surprised the case was bound over to a grand jury, saying the ruling is procedural. He said he is still convinced of McCraney’s innocence.

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