January 1993 - One year later, the national media was involved. Sonny Long reported that Inside Edition planned to air an interview with Hailey. Michael Cortez of Maxima LTD had purchased Hailey's media rights. A TV movie was in the works.
The CBS news magazine 48 Hours was in town talking with the Hailey family and Atlanta Police Chief Mike Scott. 48 Hours
camera crew was expected to cover the candlelight memorial. (I don't know if any of those programs aired.)
May 1993 - Jerry Hailey, Kevin's father, sued the county, the sheriff, the City of Atlanta, (don't know the outcome of that suit).
Also sued the magazine Gentleman's Quarterly, a private investigator and a TV station for wrongful termination. (dismissed in September, 1995). Rumored that Jerry Hailey settled with Cass County for $25,000, got his job back, worked a few months and resigned. I don't know how the other cases ended - - would like info on that.
May 1993 - Inside Edition ran a segment on the case.
Date? A Current Affair ran a segment on the case.
January 1994 - Kevin Hailey sued Mike Scott, Steve Mericle (of the Atlanta Police Dept.), and the City of Atlanta for false arrest. (CASE DISMISSED JAN. 1996)
DECEMBER 29, 1994 (EFFECTIVE 1/5/95) - Atlanta Police Chief Mike Scott retired, my source suggested he was "run out of town". He admitted to being "frustrated" about Butts case. (FWIW, there was an investigation into allegations that Scott had been drinking on the job.) He quit and is now working at Harrah's Casino in Shreveport, La..
His position was taken over by Mike Ahrens who said he would review the file. Sonny Long wrote in his column, "... there was no hope in his voice."
Mike Dupree is now the Chief of Police; Ahrens the City Manager.
Cass County District Attorney Neal Birmingham had also retired and a protegé, Randal Lee, took his place. My source in the small town said the new DA is greatly influenced by Mr. Birmingham.
SEPTEMBER 1995 -- Hailey and his mother, Kathy Weaver, along with two 17-year-olds are indicted by a Grand Jury for participating in an organized crime burglary ring.
1996 - Kevin Hailey's father, Jerry, ran for sheriff, got 11% of the vote.
December 1996 - Kevin asaulted a woman in Longview Tx - domestic incident. She didn't press charges since he had left the house. The police records include an interesting note - "Suspect admitted he had a drug addiction..."
Jan. 27, 1998, the Atlanta Police Dept. issued a press release stating that a report had been "found" at the forensic lab by an Attorney General's Prosecutors Assistance investigator. Some human tissue had been found under Gerri Faye's fingernails, there was a bit of foreign DNA and that DNA was "an unlikely match to Kevin Hailey."
1999 - - The $5,000 reward offered for the arrest and conviction of the murderer was doubled. Journalist Sonny Long added $5000 to the pot.
He had written, "Only a handful of Jessica Butts friends gathered ... at what had become an annual candlelight vigil and prayer memorial for the victims of the unthinkable crime. Time is no friend to unsolved murder cases. Memories and momentum are lost with each turn of the calendar page. But I refuse to forget."
June 10, 2000 -Newspaper headline - article in the Texarkana Gazette written by Jeff Minor - "DNA test clears suspect six years later." but Gerri Butts' mother said that not being a match didn't mean he was cleared and she wanted to tell her side of the story -
- Jeff Minor reportedly told her he wasn't interested in writing that story.
Chief Mike Dupree - I don't know where the report was six years ago." This is not a closed case. It's an open investigation.
District Attorney Randal Lee - I don't know when the report was received.and I prefer to let the Atlanta Police answer that."
Attorney General Investigator Mac Cobb - I'm not at liberty to discuss or confirm anything. You need to talk to the DA.
Former police chief Mike Scott - We had those reports and we turned them over to the DA. I don't know why the results are just now coming out.
Former District Attorney Neal Birmingham - They (the DNA reports) were not turned in to me. That's a damnable lie."
In a newspaper interview, he spoke more about the case. He said Hailey "didn't have wheels at the time, so everywhere he went someone had to carry him" and had an "absolute alibi from 5:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. the night of the murders." But Lanette Butts, Gerri's mother, points out "This house is one block from the murder scene. Is it unreasonable to believe he was able to walk one
block without assistance?"
1996 -- Bret Lawless was indicted for 2 counts of aggrevated assault and 1 for being a felon in possession of a firearm. These
charges resulted from an altercation with a female friend and her son who was shot (not seriously) with a 4-10.
April, 2000 - Bret Lawless sent a letter to 5th District Judge Jack Carter confessing to the murder - - DA Lee described Lawless'
letter as bizarre and he is not putting much credence in the confession. - the investigation was ongoing.
Lawless, 40, was serving time in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for felon in possession of a firearm. Earlier he had been convicted of arson.
Rumor... A career criminal - - Lawless wanted to get moved - - involved in a homosexual triangle and needed to get out.
Confessing would get him moved to the Cass County Jail - and the evidence didn't implicate him so he was cleared. How did he know about the case? He had dated Gerri's mother, Lanette Butts, and married her shortly after the murders. The marriage didn't last.
Timeline 1992 |
