Underage drinkers surrounded suspected killer

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

JACOBS

A subculture of drinking and drug use has been revealed during the ongoing investigation into the murder of an 89-year-old Centertown woman, something prosecutors say was aided by the ease in which underage residents could buy alcohol from local stores.

“We found it was actually very easy for an underage person to buy beer at some locations,” said District Attorney General Dale Potter of the recent underage beer buying bust, sparked partially by what lawmen learned during their investigation into last month’s murder of Centertown resident Ruby Thurman.

Presently, a neighbor of the victim, Joshua Jacobs, 20, stands charged with the murder. Lawmen say he entered her home to steal her car and killed the elderly woman when she caught him. The cause of her death is still under investigation.

While stopping short of saying Jacobs was under the influence the night of the murder, lawmen say they have found evidence underage friends, who were with the accused murderer earlier in the evening, had bought beer from Morrison Shell, one of the businesses caught in the undercover sting.

“Word was that if you were underage, Shell was selling to people under 21,” Potter said. “From what we’ve learned, it was pretty wide open.”

Potter said that in addition to friends in the company of Jacobs shortly before the murder, there were many other acquaintances of the alleged murderer who were also drinking the night of the killing.

“We found that when checking alibis of several underage persons, many of them admitted to being out drinking and looking for drugs,” Potter said. “One incident involved a couple of 14- and 15-year-old girls, who were hanging out with guys, 18 to 20, who were able to buy beer while out looking to buy marijuana.”

Checking alibis for eight to 10 potential witnesses, all of whom were under 21, revealed most, if not all, were illegally consuming alcohol that was purchased at local stores.

“This is just something we came across during the course of the murder investigation,” Potter said. “If people don’t think these stores selling to underage people is a problem, this should open their eyes.”

While the beer cases work through the court system, prosecutors are preparing for the preliminary hearing for Jacobs later this month. He could face the death penalty if convicted.