MARYVILLE, Tenn — A man already in prison for a 1987 Monroe County murder is connected to a 39-year-old cold case in Maryville, according to Maryville police.
Maryville Police and the Blount County District Attorney announced Wednesday Roger Dale Oody is a suspect in the murder of Billy Wayne Hearon at a trailer park back in 1985. Police and the DA said evidence sent to the FBI laboratory and the media helped play a part in solving this case.
Oody was indicted by a grand jury Monday and later transported to the Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility. He's expected to make his first court appearance Friday. Police said he was 22 years old at the time of the murder.
Oody is already serving time in prison for the murder of Roy Stevens in Monroe County from 1987.
"Without going into much detail, I think you'll learn that homicide is related to our murder, that there is a nexus and a connection between the two of them," Desmond said.
Oody is currently serving a life sentence and is eligible for parole in 2035.
Hearon was killed on Jan. 4, 1985, but his body wasn't found until the following morning at the Shady Acres Trailer Park, off Foch Road. According to the Jan 7, 1985 edition of the Maryville Daily Times, Maryville Police had suspects who they thought were responsible for his killing shortly after he died. Police said Herron was stabbed more than 70 times and suffered blunt force trauma to the head.
Hearon was in the United States Navy where he suffered a injury that made him disabled and unable to work. Herron grew up in Blount County and had 14 brothers and sisters. Police have been in contact with several of them over the course of the investigation.
"Imagine losing a loved one, someone you grew up with someone you call a brother and not knowing what happened, not just for days, not just for weeks, not just for months, but for years, for decades, these individuals were provided with no answers as to what had caused their loved one's death," said District Attorney Ryan Desmond. "They were given no closure, they were given no justice. They were left to wonder for decades and decades."
Police said Oody and Hearon were acquaintances back in 1985 and Oody was a person of interest over the course of the investigation.
Police and the DA also thanked the media for their help in bringing the case to the forefront.
"So thank you to the media for still having an interest in the community and the families of victims," said Desmond. "We deal with victims of crimes a lot in our jobs. And it's tough."
Editor's Note: Maryville Police said Billy Wayne Herron's last name is spelled Herron. The Daily Times spelled it Hearon in articles that appeared in the newspaper in 1985. On Nov. 6, 2024, Maryville police said Billy Wayne Hearon's last name is spelled Hearon, matching The Daily Times spelling. This story has been updated to reflect that change.