Cold Case Arrest: Suspect charged 24 years after woman found stabbed to death in her home
By Graham Cawthon
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LAFAYETTE, Georgia (WJCL) — More than 20 years after a Georgia woman was stabbed to death in her own home, authorities say they’ve captured the man responsible.
On Friday, the Walker County Sheriff’s Office announced that Clerence D. George, 63, of Birmingham, Ala., had been charged in connection with the murder of Julie Ann McDonald.
McDonald, 42, was found dead in her home on June 11, 2000. Officials say she had been dead about three to four days before her body was discovered.
At the time of her death, she worked as a pharmacist at Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga, Tenn.
According to news reports at the time, authorities believed McDonald knew her killer because there were no signs of forced entry.
George, who was 39 at the time of the killing, was taken into custody August 22 by U.S. Marshals at his home in Jefferson County, Ala.
Investigators say the pair were acquaintances.
According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the case was reassigned several times over the years before evidence was recently resubmitted for testing. That contributed to charges being filed.
George is charged with murder and aggravated assault. He awaits extradition back to Georgia.
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