DOTHAN, Ala. — A DNA match found through a genealogy website has led to an arrest in the killings of two teen girls nearly 20 years ago, Alabama authorities said.
Coley McCraney, 45, of Dothan, was arrested Saturday on rape and capital murder charges in the 1999 deaths of 17-year-olds Tracie Hawlett and J.B. Beasley, according to Dale County jail records.
The girls left Dothan the night of July 3, 1999, to attend a party, but never arrived. They were found the next day in the trunk of Beasley's car alongside a road in Ozark, each with a gunshot wound to the head. A different suspect was cleared after his DNA didn't match that from semen found on Beasley.
"I've been doing this job a long time, and here's my concern: social media convicts him before we've ever seen the evidence, and that's troubling to me," McCraney's lawyer, David Harrison, told The Associated Press on Monday.
"It's going to be difficult to find a jury that's not already aware of the facts," he added. "I might have to ask that it be moved to another venue to get a fair trial. A lot of emotions are flying."
Last year's arrest of "Golden State Killer" suspect Joseph DeAngelo in California was a factor in prompting the small Alabama police department to send their evidence to a firm that does DNA analysis, Ozark Police Chief Marlos Walker told ABC News .
After decades without any big breaks, California police identified DeAngelo as a suspect by using genealogy websites to identify potential relatives of the killer based on DNA collected at a crime scene. DeAngelo now faces more than two-dozen counts of murder and kidnapping in what prosecutors describe as a killing in spree in a half-dozen California counties in the 1970s and 1980s.
McCraney's lawyer says he's an outstanding member of the community, a married man with children and grandchildren. He's been a truck driver and had his own church where he preached as recently as three weeks ago, the lawyer said.
"My heart goes out to the victims' families," Harrison said. "It's a tragedy. We don't need to make it make three tragedies by convicting him."
"I can say this man been an outstanding member of the community," he added. "He's cooperating with law enforcement. I look forward to having our day in court and exonerating my client and his reputation."
Ozark police and Dale County sheriff's officials were preparing their own news conference as Harrison spoke.