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Maryville cold case suspect makes first court appearance

Roger Oody faced a Blount County judge where they scheduled his next court date for Dec. 9. He will be held in Blount County until the hearing.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — An East Tennessee man appeared before a judge Friday for a 1985 Maryville murder.

Roger Oody is accused of killing Navy veteran Billy Wayne Hearon at a trailer park in Maryville. He faced a Blount County judge where they scheduled his next court date for Dec. 9. He will be held in Blount County until the hearing. 

Oody was indicted by a grand jury Monday and later transported to the Trousdale Turner Correctional Facility. 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 Hearon 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.

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