LAGRANGE, Ga. - A 41-year-old man has pleaded guilty to the murder of 69-year-old Kenneth Stanley Dial, whose body was found in a LaGrange park in 2023.
What we know:
Dial’s body was found on the morning of Aug. 28, 2023, at Sunny Point Access on Mooty Bridge Road. He had been shot to death. Investigators determined that he had gone to the park that morning for his routine walk and was confronted by Billy Joe Tyler III.
Tyler attempted to rob the man, investigators say, and ended up shooting him before fleeing the area. After executing a series of search warrants, detectives found the firearm believed to have been used. It was turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab for testing.
Ballistic reports confirmed it was the same gun used in the murder.
What we don't know:
Investigators have not clarified if Tyler targeted the Sunny Point Access specifically or if the encounter with Dial was a random crime of opportunity.
While the murder weapon was recovered via search warrants, authorities have not disclosed how Tyler obtained the firearm or if it was linked to other crimes.
What's next:
Tyler is expected to be back in court on May 11 for sentencing, where he faces life in prison.
The Source: The details in this article were shared by the LaGrange Police Department.