Eric and his beloved dog Gypsy were found murdered behind the old Empire School in Empire, Alabama, a small town in Walker County In the small community of Empire, Alabama, the life of 32-year-old Eric Cates, a male, came to a horrific end in March 2015. On March 21st, his body, along with that of his cherished dog, Gypsy, was discovered inside his pickup truck, which had been set ablaze. The gruesome scene was located behind the old Empire School in Walker County, a place that would become synonymous with a long and arduous quest for justice.
For more than eight years, the case remained cold, leaving a family shattered and a community searching for answers. The initial investigation seemingly stalled, but the relentless efforts of Cates's mother kept a flicker of hope alive that those responsible would one day be held accountable.
The silence in the case was finally broken in October 2023. After an extensive investigation led by the Alabama Attorney General's office, a grand jury indicted two individuals. Joshua Franklin Hill, then 33, and Cyerena Cheyenne Styles, 28, both from Walker County, were charged with one count of murder each. Styles was taken into custody by the Sumiton Police Department, while the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force apprehended Hill. This breakthrough was a significant step forward, bringing a renewed focus to a crime that had haunted the area for years. The arrests were the culmination of a collaborative effort involving the Attorney General's Special Prosecutions and Criminal Trials Divisions, the Sumiton Police Department, and former agents of the Walker County Sheriff’s Office.
Further developments unfolded in May 2024, escalating the gravity of the charges. The Attorney General's Office announced new indictments, charging Joshua Franklin Hill, now 35, and another Walker County man, Luke Williams, Jr., 34, with capital murder. Hill's initial murder charge was upgraded, signifying new evidence and a deeper understanding of the crime's circumstances. During a subsequent court hearing, testimony revealed chilling details, suggesting that Styles had admitted to driving Cates's truck to the abandoned school with an incapacitated but still living Cates inside, allegedly at Hill's instruction. While the legal process for the three suspects is ongoing, these arrests have marked a pivotal turning point in the long journey toward justice for Eric Cates and his dog, Gypsy.
