Prosecution will move forward on the Jackson man accused of the 1996 murder of 78-year-old Mack Fowler in Columbus
A Lowndes County Circuit Court grand jury indicted 52-year-old David Murray II on Monday for one count of capital murder.
Lowndes County Circuit Court documents provided to the SDN on Tuesday say Murray is accused of killing Fowler in his home during a burglary on or about July 9, 1996.
The Columbus Police Department's initial investigation concluded Fowler had been beaten and stabbed to death. DNA evidence collected from the scene ultimately led the U.S. Marshal’s Task Force in Jackson to charge Murray with murder in May of this year.
Murray was arrested by the Jackson Police Department last October on an unrelated felony charge, where a DNA swab was taken and submitted to the state crime lab for examination.
District Attorney Scott Colom previously said if Murray was indicted on the murder charge, his office would prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.
Details regarding Murray's relationship to Fowler have not been disclosed at this time, but investigators said following the arrest they believe Murray was invited into Fowler's home as a guest the night of the murder.
Colom's office said on Tuesday a court date for Murray has not been set at this time.
Murray was denied bond by Municipal Court Judge Rhonda Ellis in May and is currently being held in the Lowndes County Adult Detention Facility in Columbus.