On March 1, 2014, the body of 33-year-old Warren Ransom, a Black male, was discovered on the side of Hooker Road in the Alton Park area of South Chattanooga. He had sustained a single gunshot wound to the head, and authorities believed he was killed at the same location where he was found. The initial discovery launched a homicide investigation into the untimely death of the Chattanooga man.
The investigation into Ransom's death led authorities to a suspect, Marcus Oneal Birt, who was 32 years old at the time. Birt was subsequently arrested and faced a series of serious charges, including homicide, aggravated robbery, and possession of a firearm in connection with the fatal shooting. The motive behind the incident was reported as a robbery.
In December of 2015, the legal proceedings against Marcus Birt concluded. He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree murder for his role in the death of Warren Ransom. Following his guilty plea, Birt was sentenced to serve 20 years in prison, bringing a resolution to the case that had begun with the discovery of a body on a roadside nearly two years prior.
