Eyeglasses could hold the answer to a 17-year-old murder case
CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. - Investigators with the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office believe eyeglasses could hold the answer to a 17-year-old murder case. Investigators have reopened the cold case.
It’s been nearly two decades since Christopher Duron was gunned down on the side of Interstate 75, but the memories and pain have not faded for his wife, Pat Duron.
“I don’t think a day in 17 years has gone by that I have not thought about it,” said Pat Duron.
The Clayton County Sheriff’s Office said on January 28, 2000, Chris and another man got into a scuffle in the HOV lane of I-75 across from the Ford plant in Hapeville. Investigators said moments later Chris was shot three times and the killer took off.
Three days after Chris’ cold-blooded murder, the funeral home handed Pat eyeglasses found near Chris at the murder scene, assuming they were his. Pat said Chris did not wear glasses and instantly knew she was holding the eyeglasses of the man who killed her husband.
“Both of them were in SUV’s, dark colored. The man was wearing a long brown trench coat,” said Pat. “He’s walked around for 17 years thinking he got away with it, I do not want him to get away it.”
About 17 years ago doctors identified the silver L’Amy Rockport brand prescription eyeglasses as belonging to a man in their fifties or older with a prescription of 75-25-81 on the right lens and 75-25-116 on the left lens. Detectives ran the prescription through doctor’s databases, but nothing came up.
Pat recently met with Victor Hill, now the Clayton County sheriff who was the detective on Chris’ murder and asked him to reopen the case hoping advances in forensics will lead to answers.
“I want it back out there, we know exactly what kind of glasses they were, somebody had that prescription,” said Pat.
Pat is hoping doctors are willing to run that prescription through their databases now and that people traveling on that cold dark Friday morning remember something that might help bring her closure.
“There is not much you can do about it, except wait and wait and I am tired of waiting. I want somebody to come forward that knows something, somebody knows who did it,” said Pat.
The Cold Case Squad is asking anyone in the field of optometry to check the eyeglass prescription (75-25-81 on the right lens, and 75-25-116 on the left lens) in their files by computer to see if they can find a match for a possible suspect. Investigators are also asking if anyone recalls anyone fitting the description during that time that came to work or home without his glasses and had facial injuries from a fight to contact them as well. DA Chief Investigator Dennis Baker can be reached at 678-898-4549. Homicide Captain Norwood can be reached at 770-473-5919.