Murder arrest in Miami two years after boyfriend found strangled in Birmingham, Alabama

Julian Taylor Morris, 33, was arrested in Miami by U.S. Marshals, charged with murdering his boyfriend Deundray Cottrell, whose body was found in Birmingham in 2024.

Atlanta man held in Miami over boyfriend's 2024 murder in Alabama

Julian Taylor Morris, 33, was arrested in Miami by U.S. Marshals more than two years after his then-boyfriend was found dead in Birmingham, Alabama, cbsnews.com reports. Morris is charged with murder in the death of Deundray Cottrell, 31, according to the Birmingham Police Department.

Cottrell was reported missing on 4 July 2024 while visiting family in Birmingham. Officers searching the area found clothing believed to belong to him and surveillance footage showing him walking near 4th Avenue North. Two days later, on 6 July 2024, his body was discovered in a shed approximately a block from his family's home. The case was ruled a homicide; investigators determined he had been strangled.

Within days of the body being found, investigators identified Morris as a person of interest. Detectives said he was the last person known to have seen or communicated with Cottrell and that he had stopped cooperating with police after the body was discovered. Morris, who was based in Atlanta, had been at large for more than two years before his arrest.

He is currently held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center without bond, pending extradition to Alabama.

Birmingham Chief of Police Michael Pickett addressed the arrest directly. "This arrest, as well as the other arrest on cases from previous years, show how relentless our department is and how dedicated our officers are," Pickett said. "We never stop working for justice. We will continue to pursue those responsible for violent crimes, no matter where they may run. We will continue to seek justice for Deundray Cottrell and his family and remain committed to holding those responsible accountable."

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)