Police charge teen-ager with murder

By By Steve Gillespie / staff writer
March 1, 2003
Meridian police arrested an 18-year-old Meridian resident Friday on two counts of capital murder and one count of motor vehicle theft in the deaths of two local brothers.
Jeffry Fairley of 1930 36th Ave., was officially charged with the murder of brothers James Tingle, 75, and John Crump, 59, who were found shot to death in their home at 2419 19th St. on Monday.
Bond for the motor vehicle theft charge was set at $25,000. No bond has been set for the capital murder charges. Fairley was still in jail Friday night.
Detective Dean Harper of the Meridian Police Department said Fairley was picked up for questioning about noon on Thursday and officially charged at noon on Friday.
He added that a gun, believed to be the murder weapon, was also recovered by police. Harper would not comment on a suspected motive for the crimes.
Meridian Police Chief Benny DuBose said Fairley's arrest resulted from the combined efforts of MPD departments in assisting the first responders to the murder scene, the violent crimes unit.
The bodies of Tingle and Crump were discovered by their sister, Willie Mae Currie, who lived with them. She found her brothers slain shortly before 1 p.m. Monday after she returned home from a weekend trip to Alabama.
Police reported that an undisclosed amount of money and a 1993 Lincoln Town Car were stolen from the residence. The car was found abandoned on J.D. McWilliams Road off of Old Highway 80 East later in the week.
Lauderdale County Deputy Coroner Clayton Cobler said he has yet to receive preliminary reports of the state medical examiner's autopsies on the victims.