Jonesboro man arrested for 2024 murder of Atlanta dancer
Julian Taylor Morris booking photo (Courtesy of the Birmingham Police Department)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A Georgia man faces a murder charge after federal marshals arrested him in Florida for the 2024 death of an Atlanta dancer in Birmingham.
What we know:
Federal marshals took Julian Taylor Morris, 33, of Jonesboro, Georgia, into custody on Monday in Miami.
Investigators charged Morris with murder in connection with the July 2024 death of Deundray Cottrell.
Deundray Cottrell (Birmingham Police Department)
Cottrell, a 31-year-old doctorate student and dancer from Atlanta, was reported missing on July 4, 2024.
Birmingham police officers in the East Precinct found his body two days later around 3 p.m. in the 7900 block of 5th Avenue South.
What we don't know:
Authorities have not released a cause of death or disclosed what led up to the killing.
Morris is being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Florida pending extradition to Alabama.
What they're saying:
A neighbor's Ring camera recorded Cottrell running through yards and jumping over a fence before he died. Searchers also found his clothing scattered in the neighborhood.
"It looked like he was looking for refuge," Cottrell's sister, Angela Harris, told AL.com. "He was running for his life."
Chief of Police Michael Pickett said the department remains dedicated to pursuing violent crime suspects.
"We will continue to seek justice for Deundray Cottrell and his family and remain committed to holding those responsible accountable," Pickett said.
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The Source: The information in this story was gathered from a Birmingham Police Department media release issued by Public Information Officer Sgt. Laquitta Wade, statements from Police Chief Michael Pickett, and reporting from AL.com.