Two women shot and set on fire months apart, Alabama cops say. Now, one man charged
The deaths of two women who were shot and set on fire months apart in Alabama were connected, police announced.
On July 14, Birmingham Police announced the arrest of 25-year-old Demarchies Mincey in connection to two homicides earlier in the year, police chief Scott Thurmond said in a news conference.
On April 18, officers responded to an abandoned vehicle on the city’s east side, Thurmond said. Inside was the body of 31-year-old Ariel Jones. She had been shot and it appeared her body and the vehicle had been set on fire.
Police did not announce any arrests or leads in Jones’ case — and then it happened again.
On June 1, the body of Jermiera Fowler, also 31, was found shot and set on fire, McClatchy News previously reported. She was also found on the east side of Birmingham.
Fowler had been reported missing on May 31 by her family, police said.
“Jermiera Fowler has not been seen nor heard from since leaving to meet someone to make a purchase from Facebook (Marketplace)” police said in a missing persons report.
Thurmond said in the news conference that he can not confirm whether the meetup took place.
On June 12, Mincey had been “developed as a suspect,” Thurmond said, and an arrest warrant was issued on murder and abuse of a corpse charges.
Mincey was arrested by U.S Marshals in Stonecrest, Georgia, on June 22, Thurmond said.
The police chief said he was arrested on unrelated charges in Georgia, as well as the warrant out of Birmingham, and placed in the DeKalb County Jail.
While investigators were looking at Mincey for Fowler’s death, they also identified him as a person of interest in Jones’ death, Thurmond said.
An additional warrant on capital murder charges was issued for Mincey on June 11 for the death of Jones, the police chief said.
“Currently, the only commonality between these cases is that both victims are female and they were both shot,” Thurmond said.
When asked why the women were set on fire, Thurmond said police speculate that it was meant to obscure evidence, but Mincey has not cooperated with their investigation so investigators cannot confirm.
Mincey is awaiting extradition to Alabama.
What we know about the victims
Jones was described by loved ones as having a “goofy personality (that) would light up a room,” in her obituary.
“Ariel enjoyed singing and dancing. She was the life of the party,” it said. “Ariel loved her nephews and nieces like they were her own. She was the fun ‘Tee-Tee.”
Jones left behind her dog, Elvis, her “real child” whom “she loved dearly.”
Fowler “had a natural gift for leadership and a heart full of love,” her family said in her obituary.
“She was the kind of person who made everyone feel welcome and included, and her infectious energy and joy was contagious,” her family said.
Fowler left behind two children, McClatchy News previously reported.
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