On a spring evening in Opelika, Alabama, the life of 31-year-old Derris Terrel Harris was cut short by gunfire on March 25, 2017. Harris, a man remembered by loved ones as a sweet-hearted person who cherished his family and whose smile could brighten anyone's day, was one of two victims in a fatal shooting. The other man who lost his life was 27-year-old Sedric Darrell Lewis.
The investigation into the double homicide led authorities to 26-year-old John W.
Maddox Jr., who was arrested and charged with two counts of murder. At the time of his arrest, law enforcement officials announced that they were also actively searching for a second individual believed to be involved in the incident. However, information regarding the identity or subsequent apprehension of this second suspect has not been publicly released.
Following his arrest, John W. Maddox Jr. was taken to the Lee County Jail. Despite the serious charges, the motive behind the deadly shooting has not been disclosed by investigators. The progression of the legal case against Maddox for the murders of Harris and Lewis remains unclear from available online sources. While records show a John Willie Maddox Jr. from the same area was sentenced in federal court for unrelated drug and firearm offenses, the outcome of the state-level murder charges is not detailed in accessible reports.
The untimely death of Derris Terrel Harris left a void in the lives of his family and friends, who remember him as a graduate of Lafayette High School and Southern Union State Community College. His loved ones have continued to light candles and share memories of him online, cherishing the man they knew as '2 reil.' The lack of public information on the final resolution of the criminal case leaves lingering questions for a community still mourning the loss of two of its own.
