In the quiet afternoon of January 9, 2024, the life of 86-year-old William Wesley Strane was tragically cut short in Montgomery, Alabama. A white male, Strane was a long-time resident of the city, having spent most of his life there after being born in Nashville, Tennessee. He was a man of many hats, having served as a paratrooper in the military, a lieutenant on the Montgomery police force, and later becoming the owner of Montgomery Metro Realty.
He was also a devoted family man, married to his wife Janice for 60 years before her passing.
On that Tuesday, in the 2700 block of Locust Street, Strane was fatally shot. The incident occurred around 2:00 p.m., and when officers and fire medics arrived at the scene, they found him deceased. The motive for the shooting was not immediately clear to investigators, who began an appeal for information from the public.
The investigation led to a swift arrest. On January 13, 2024, just four days after the shooting, 45-year-old Anthony Tallie of Montgomery was taken into custody. He was subsequently charged with murder in connection with Strane's death. An additional charge of felony attempting to elude was also brought against him. Tallie was then placed in the Montgomery County Detention Facility, where he was held without bond.
William Strane was remembered as a man who enjoyed hunting and fishing and spent his later days working on his rental properties, always with his loyal golden retriever, 'Pretty Girl,' by his side. He was a graduate of Auburn University and, along with his late wife, was actively involved with the Fraser Memorial United Methodist Church. He is survived by his son, daughter, and three grandchildren. In accordance with his wishes, no formal funeral service was held; instead, his family planned to spread his ashes in the Alabama River.
