Jeremy Borden wrote in today’s Daily Progress about the arrest of Alvin Lee “Butch” Morris for the 1988 murder of Roger L. Shifflett. It sounded like a pretty straightforward story: Shifflett was found shot dead in his Southwind Gas and Grocery Store one morning, his till cleared of $135, and now the 67-year-old Morris has been charged with it. The only question was how Morris was caught. But now comes the bizarre twist, explained by Lisa Provence in The Hook: the accused murderer is married to the victim’s widow, having helped to raise three of the victim’s children.
Morris left his wife just weeks after the murder. In a small-town twist, former county sheriff Terry Hawkins’ sister was Morris’ first wife, and Hawkins says that Morris was a suspect from the very start. The Hook has labeled this the “replacement husband” case and, for lack of a better phrase, I’m sticking with it.
This is way to weird for me to even wrap my head around.
yikes.
Correction for Waldo Jaquith ~ Mr. Morris helped to raise only THREE of Mr. Shifflett’s children; not five, as incorrectly reported in your article posted on May 16th. The Hook accurately reflected this information. If mirroring the CVille News article on that, it is prudent that you convey the facts accurately.
Corrected accordingly — thanks, Stephanie.