In the small community of Puryear, Tennessee, the tranquility was shattered in late July of 2020. Stella Duncan Caddell, a 68-year-old female and a respected pharmacist, was found deceased in her home on Duncan Lane on July 30th. The discovery launched an immediate investigation by the Henry County Sheriff's Office, who soon called in the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to assist.
As investigators delved into the circumstances surrounding Stella's death, their focus quickly turned toward her husband. Information developed during the joint investigation pointed to 74-year-old James Edward Caddell as the person responsible for his wife's demise. On the evening of July 31, 2020, James Caddell was taken into custody and faced a string of serious charges: first-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and abuse of a corpse. He was subsequently booked into the Henry County Jail with his bond set at a formidable one million dollars.
The legal process began to unfold, and in December 2020, a special grand jury handed down indictments against James Caddell for first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence. Following the indictment, a judge ordered that his bond be revoked in January 2021. The trial was eventually scheduled to take place in the summer of 2023.
However, the case would never reach a jury. In October 2022, while in hospice care, James Edward Caddell passed away at the age of 77. Consequently, in November 2022, a judge formally dismissed all charges against him, bringing an end to the legal proceedings in the tragic death of Stella Duncan Caddell.
