For Immediate Release:
June 15, 2023
(OZARK)— Today, Judge William “Bill” Filmore sentenced Coley McCraney to life without parole for the murders of J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett of Houston County. In April, McCraney was convicted on four counts of capital murder, and the jury returned a sentencing verdict of life without parole. Judge Filmore also ordered that McCraney pay additional fines and fees.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall issued the following statement:
“The families of J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett have prayed for over two decades that their daughters’ murderer would be brought to justice. While we cannot bring back their loved ones, we hope today’s sentencing will bring them some level of closure,” stated Attorney General Marshall.
“As a career prosecutor, I have dedicated most of my adult life to bringing justice to both victims and their families. In Alabama, we have zero tolerance for those who callously take the lives of others, and I will never stop boldly pursuing justice for victims and families in our great state.”
In April, Attorney General Marshall served as the lead prosecutor in State v. McCraney where he successfully obtained a guilty verdict in the 1999 Dale County cold case.
The successful conviction was the result of a multiagency effort including: the District Attorney’s Office of the 33rd Judicial Circuit, Ozark Police Department, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Dale County Sheriff’s Office, and the Dothan Police Department.
