A Mississippi man was arrested Saturday in connection with the killings of two Jefferson County residents, authorities said.
William Childress, 21, was arrested early Saturday morning after investigators linked him to the killings of Anthony Branch, 62, and Deborah Moncrief, 58, who were found dead inside Moncrief’s residence in the 6300 block of Cowboy Drive off Ray Road in Jefferson County, Jefferson County sheriff’s Maj. Layfette Woods said in a statement. The bodies were found shortly after 6:30 a.m. Friday.
“It is believed that Childress is the sole participant in the murders and the motive appears to have been over money,” Woods said. “It defiantly was not random or an accident. It appears that the double homicide was targeted.”
Investigators found Childress and his fiancée, who is Moncrief’s niece. The weapon believed to have been used in the killings was turned over to investigators by Childress, who was arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder, the statement said. He is currently being held without bail at the W.C. “Dub” Brassell Jefferson County jail.