Quick confession shows good work by lawmen
With the Monday night murder confession given by Jody McCormick, local law officers deserve a good deal of praise for a job well done.
In what turned out to be a relatively brief investigation, authorities had a confession shortly after tracking down and apprehending their prime suspect in Junior Tanner’s murder.
This certainly comes as a relief to citizens concerned about safety in Warren County. The capture of a murderer puts everyone’s mind a little more at ease.
In this day when homeland security and family protection commands a portion of everyone’s attention, it is reassuring our local law officers are doing their part to keep our community safe. The arrest of a suspected killer tops the list of priorities when thinking about crimes to solve.
Equally impressive is the fact law officers said they learned from mistakes during the investigation of the Myers Lane triple murders. In that case, a large portion of at-the-scene evidence wasn’t usable because it was damaged during collection. Even with that setback, District Attorney Dale Potter has still been successful in getting convictions against Doug Myers and Johnny Lewis for their parts in the murders.
This time, crime scene investigation included the TBI and the Tennessee Fire Marshal’s Office, which both worked in conjunction with local officers. It didn’t take long before authorities suspected foul play, even though they were hesitant to declare the case a murder investigation.
The arrest of McCormick also continues a recent trend of success when it comes to local investigators and murder cases. The aforementioned Myers Lane murders is an example where investigators took many months to make their arrests but have thus far gotten two convictions. The trial of a third suspect has yet to take place.
In the murder of Louie Johnson, which occurred roughly two years ago in his yard on Old Smithville Highway, investigators didn’t take long to make a case against Eric Sullivan and Margie Farley. While that case has yet to reach a courtroom, Sullivan was reportedly heard by a jailer confessing to the murder. If that confession is taken as accurate, local investigators got the right person.
The same can be said in the murder of Junior Tanner. If McCormick’s confession is accepted as being the truth, lawmen have once again arrested the right person. And we are confident, the way things have been progressing in recent years, the prosecution will also be successful in proving its case.
Simply put, there isn’t a crime which is more serious than murder. Since it’s doubtful people will stop killing other people any time soon, it’s at least reassuring to know our local law enforcement officials have a solid grasp on their duties and have been successful catching those who do commit murder.