Anniversary of teen murders, accused killer still awaits trial

Ozark, Ala. (WTVY) -This weekend marks the 21st anniversary of two tragic teen murders, a case that stayed cold for years. On August 1, 1999, police discovered the bodies of J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett in the trunk of Ms. Beasley’s Mazda 929. They had been shot several hours earlier.

This weekend, families of those girls quietly honored their memories as they have every year.

"It was the hardest day of my life when I was told that my daughter would never come home again. Our Lord has given us the strength we have needed to go on with our lives without Tracie but he has always been there for us in our trying times," Carol Roberts, Ms. Hawlett's mother, posted on Facebook Friday.

A man arrested in March 2019 awaits trial on charges he murdered the two 17-year old high school students from Dothan. DNA evidence led to Coley McCraney’s arrest, Ozark police claim.

Beasley and Hawlett, best friends, left their home in Dothan on the evening of July 31 to attend a birthday party, but got lost and ended up in Ozark. Hawlett reportedly later called her mother to tell her they had received directions and were on their way home.

The never made it.

Prosecutors believe after making that phone call the teens encountered McCraney who raped Ms. Beasley then murdered both of the girls.

McCraney, a 46-year old husband and father, has denied those charges.