On May 27, 2011, officers with the Alabama Bureau of Investigations, The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, and the District Attorney’s office for the 4th Judicial Circuit arrested William Jody Byrd for the February 1999 murder of his wife, Desta Byrd. Byrd was taken in to custody at his place of employment without incident and booked into the Bibb County Jail on capital murder charges.  He is being held without bond.

Assistant District Attorney Jim Ransom commented on the arrest: “We’re glad that we were able to finally make an arrest in this case. It’s been a long time coming. We want to give Desta’s family some closure, and we want the person responsible to be held accountable.”