Unsolved murders: Two dozen Clarksville cold cases still under investigation
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CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Almost three decades ago, on Sept. 26, 1995, four people wearing ski masks entered a Clarksville residence and yelled, “Where’s the money, we’re not playing.”
One of the people then shot Aaron Walker in the head and they all fled the scene. While a witness was able to give investigators a description of the getaway car, the case has since gone cold, with Walker’s alleged murderer still out there somewhere.
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His murder is among two dozen other cold case homicides in the Clarksville area, with the oldest case dating back to Aug. 17, 1991, when police found Gary Waggoner suffering from a gunshot wound in the parking lot of Trigger’s Lounge.
Despite many years gone by, investigators are still working to find information that could help close these cases. On Nov. 15, 2021, the Clarksville-Montgomery County Crime Stoppers Board voted to unanimously increase the cash reward amount for cold case homicides.
Information that helps lead to an arrest or conviction could now earn tipsters up to $5,000 — five times the previous amount. The Crime Stoppers concept is based on the principle that someone — other than the criminal — has information that can solve or prevent a crime.
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Crime Stoppers offers anonymity since some citizens are reluctant to get involved due to fear of reprisal — and time has shown it works. Since the start of the program, many calls have been received, resulting in thousands of arrests and the recovery of substantial amounts of property.
Below are the 24 cold case homicides that are currently eligible for a cash reward and any known information about the incidents. Anyone with additional information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 931-645-TIPS or go to www.p3tips.com and leave a tip online.
GARY WAGGONER – AUGUST 17, 1991
Officers with the Clarksville Police Department were on routine patrol around 2:17 a.m. on Aug. 17, 1991, when they heard a gunshot fired near Providence Boulevard.
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Police went to investigate and were flagged down by a person who informed them of an injured man. They found 29-year-old Gary Waggoner suffering from an injury in the parking lot of Trigger’s Lounge. He was taken to a Nashville hospital where he later died.
JERRY COPE – JANUARY 14, 1992
Officers with the Clarksville Police Department were called to the Brown Derby Tavern on Jan. 14, 1992, where they found Jerry Cope dead. She had been working the bar the night before and stayed to lock up. Detectives are still working to identify any possible suspects.
HOWARD BATIE – JANUARY 11, 1995
Clarksville Police found Howard Batie dead from a gunshot wound inside his vehicle on Jan. 11, 1995. The car was parked in front of his residence at 511 York Street.
An autopsy report later showed Batie had been shot in the back three times. A witness told police they had seen the shooting. The gunman was reportedly dressed in black and was driving a light metallic blue Ford, possibly a Tempo.
AARON WALKER – SEPTEMBER 26, 1995
On Sept. 26, 1995, officers with the Clarksville Police Department responded to Sunnydale Mobile Home Park Lot No. 7, where they found Aaron Walker dead from a gunshot wound to his head.
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During the investigation, police discovered that four people with ski masks had entered the mobile home yelling, “Where’s the money, we’re not playing.” One of the people then shot Walker and they all fled the scene.
A witness saw the four suspects fleeing and told detectives they got into a blue Toyota, ’85 model, two-door sports car that was parked about 50 yards away.
AZURIA JOHNSON – JANUARY 6, 1996
Azuria Johnson was found dead on Jan. 6, 1996, at her apartment on Central Avenue. Authorities said Johnson had been stabbed multiple times in the chest. She was found on the kitchen floor with her hands tied behind her back.
FELICIA CARSON – JANUARY 11, 1996
On Jan. 12, 1996, officers with the Clarksville Police Department were called to 134 Hadley Drive, where they found Felicia Carson dead from multiple stab wounds. The crime scene showed the interaction between Carson and her attacker was especially bloody and violent.
An autopsy revealed Carson had a total of 72 incisions and stab wounds on her body. Her children had left for school at about 8 a.m. that day, and when they returned home around 3:30 p.m., they saw blood everywhere.
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One of her children went and told a neighbor, who called police. Based on interviews, detectives determined Carson and two friends had gone to the Carpet Lounge on Tiny Town Road the night before she was found dead.
One of her friends told police they had dropped Carson off at home at the end of the night. According to her friends, Carson was well known at the bar, and numerous men approached them and talked to them that night.
DIANA NIX – MAY 3, 1996
Diana Nix was reported missing by her father Gerald Nix on May 3, 1996. Authorities issued a BOLO for her 1995 black Chevy Cavalier, which was later found on May 8, 1996.
Then, nearly three years later, on March 28, 1999, detectives found skeletal remains off of Peacher’s Mill Road near Ringgold Creek. No suspects have been identified.
TERRY HOSKINS – SEPTEMBER 28, 1996
On Sept. 18, 1996, Clarksville Police got a call from a local resident who had found human remains in the 1600 block of Paradise Hill Road. The person was later identified as 33-year-old Terry Hoskins. However, little else is known about the circumstances of his murder.
JACQUELINE SIMS – MARCH 18, 1998
Officers with the Clarksville Police Department responded to the 1300 block of Avondale Drive on March 18, 1998, where they found 32-year-old Jacqueline Sims dead. The circumstances surrounding her murder remain largely unknown.
SCOTT LEE DUPREE – DECEMBER 31, 2001
Scott Dupree was last seen on Dec. 31, 2001. His body was found in his white service van on Jan. 1, 2002, near Hilltop on Highway 149.
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Dupree was a U.S. Army veteran who worked as a self-employed electrician. An investigation revealed Dupree had been the victim of a shooting.
VICTORIA OCHOA – AUGUST 15, 2005
Victoria Ochoa, 27, was reported missing by her family on Aug. 15, 2005. Her skeletal remains were found several months later, on Feb. 21, 2006. Police said her remains were under a mattress in an abandoned home on D Street. No suspects have been identified.
EDWIN MATHURIN – SEPTEMBER 2, 2006
Edwin Mathurin’s body was found on Sept. 2, 2006, in the parking lot of a local bar called River’s Edge. Police said his body was discovered after a fight and shooting. No further details regarding the circumstances of his murder are available.
DORRIS CLINARD – JULY 27, 2007
Dorris Clinard, 57, was found dead on July 27, 2007, outside his home on West Park Drive. Little else is known regarding his death, despite numerous calls for information in the case.
GEORGE DYESS – JANUARY 8, 2009
Clarksville Police responded to a shooting on Jan. 8, 2009, at 3834 Marla Circle, where they found George Dyess with multiple gunshot wounds. Dyess was taken to an area hospital, and then flown to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he later died.
STEVEN EVERETT DAVIES – JULY 20, 2010
Skeletal remains were found on July 20, 2010, in a wooded area off Terminal Road. Police said the remains were later identified as Steven Everett Davies, a homeless Navy veteran who spent a great deal of time around Terminal Road.
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The Medical Examiner’s Office ruled his death as a homicide. Interviews revealed that Davies kept to himself and was living in the area around Terminal Road, as well as behind the Kmart on Wilma Rudolph Boulevard.
DENNIS FREEMAN – DECEMBER 5, 2011
Dennis Freeman was injured during a drive-by shooting in 2007. He later died in a nursing home on Dec. 5, 2011, as a result of his injuries. The Medical Examiner’s Office listed the manner of death as a homicide. No suspects have been identified.
JAMES STACKER – APRIL 25, 2012
The Clarksville Police Department received several 911 calls around 1 a.m. on April 25, 2012, regarding shots being fired in the Chapel Street area. One of the first officers on scene saw a blue Chevrolet Cavalier rolling backward near the intersection of Chapel and Locust Street.
There was a man, later identified as 26-year-old James Stacker, partially hanging out of the car. Police said there were also multiple bullet holes where projectiles had hit the vehicle.
Stacker’s injury left him paralyzed from the chest down, and he died three years later as a result of the shooting.
VINCENT PARDUE – MARCH 23, 2015
On March 23, 2015, officers with the Clarksville Police Department responded to 919 Carpenter Street after receiving reports of a drive-by shooting.
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Five people were injured during the incident, including 27-year-old Vincent Pardue, a wide receiver for Clarksville High School, who died as a result of his injuries.
Authorities said three Black men were seen leaving the area in a Kia Soul with the Tennessee tag R0393D. However, no one has ever been arrested or charged in connection with the shooting.
JAMES BROWN – JANUARY 4, 2016
Clarksville Police found 26-year-old James Brown dead on Jan. 4, 2016, inside his residence at 831 Isaac Drive. Authorities said Brown died from an apparent gunshot wound. The circumstances surrounding the shooting have not been released.
DARIUS WALTON – JUNE 12, 2016
Darius Walton, 20, was shot and killed around 12:45 a.m. on June 12, 2016, outside his apartment complex on Jack Miller Boulevard. An autopsy revealed Walton was shot 12 times.
An 18-year-old who was with him at the time was also shot several times but survived. Little other information regarding the circumstances of the shooting has been released.
CAROL BOWMAN – MAY 27, 2019
An officer with the Clarksville Police Department responded to a welfare check on May 27, 2019, at 102 Church Court. After making entry into the residence, officers and EMS found Carol Bowman on a couch with obvious head trauma.
The investigation revealed Bowman’s cell phone, as well as some of her prescription medications, were missing from the home. No further information has been released.
ANTHONY RICHARDSON – OCTOBER 6, 2019
On Oct. 6, 2019, Clarksville Police responded to 706 Britton Springs Road, where they found Anthony Richardson lying on the ground with a gunshot wound and laceration to his head. Little else is known about the circumstances of his murder.
KEIRA JOHNSON – OCTOBER 8, 2019
Officers with the Clarksville Police Department responded to a shots fired call on Oct. 8, 2019, in the area of 1140 Main Street. When they arrived, police found a 2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue in the driveway that had been shot multiple times.
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Keira Johnson was inside the vehicle. Investigators said Johnson died after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds. Police are still working to identify any possible suspects.
LIBURN EVITTS – JULY 9, 2020
Liburn Evitts, 77, died after being struck by a car on the evening of July 9, 2020, near Providence Boulevard and Plum Street. Police believe the car could have been a 2016, 2017 or 2018 Nissan Altima. The car likely would have damage to the front passenger side headlight area.
Authorities estimate Evitts was left on the side of the road for nearly 45 minutes before someone called for help. So far, no arrests have been made in the case.
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Anyone with any information on the cases listed is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 931-645-TIPS, or go click here, and leave a tip online. All tipsters remain anonymous.
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