In the quiet community of Prospect Mountain, Alabama, a shocking act of violence shattered the peace on October 21, 2019, leading to the death of 75-year-old Rollan Frank Edwards. The male victim was one of three people who were brutally attacked in a residence on County Road 223, a crime that also claimed the life of 76-year-old Thomas Frank DeWille of Owens Cross Roads and left a third man, 48-year-old Jody Jay Tudor, critically injured.
The victims, who lived together, sustained both gunshot and knife wounds in the assault.
The incident prompted a swift response from the Cullman County Sheriff's Office. Deputies arrived at the scene to find a horrific situation with multiple victims. DeWille was pronounced dead at the residence, while Edwards was transported to UAB Hospital in Birmingham, where he later succumbed to his injuries. Tudor, the sole survivor of the initial attack, was also hospitalized in critical condition. The investigation quickly pointed to a neighbor, 30-year-old Matthew LeWayne Clayton, as the perpetrator.
Law enforcement officials apprehended Clayton on Interstate 65 the same evening, following a coordinated effort between Alabama State Troopers and the Limestone County Sheriff's Office. He was taken into custody and subsequently charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. Investigators believe the violent outburst was the culmination of a long-standing dispute between Clayton and the victims.
The case took another tragic turn when, on October 22, 2019, Clayton was hospitalized following a suicide attempt while incarcerated at the Cullman County Detention Center. A few days later, on October 26, 2019, he died from his injuries, bringing a somber end to the legal proceedings that would have followed the violent deaths of Rollan Frank Edwards and Thomas Frank DeWille.
