Opinion ID: 1149417
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 14

Heading: underlying facts and circumstances pursuant to affidavit for search warrant

Text: On the first day of August, 1986, at approximately 6:30 A.M., the body of Amy Carol Clayton, age eighteen, was found near Legion Lake in the City of Tupelo, in Lee County, Mississippi. Her hands were bound, her mouth gaged. There were some thirty-four stab wounds about her lifeless body. The following items of physical evidence were found about, and in the vicinity of, the body of Ms. Clayton (hereinafter called the victim). These items of evidence are presented item by item, together with conclusions as to the evidentiary value of the item. 1. A quantity of bloodstained hair was found in the hand of the victim's body. After being examined and washed by the Mississippi Crime Lab, that hair proved to be the same general color as that of Randy O'Neal Bevill (hereinafter referred to as the defendant). 2. A white sleeveless body shirt, stained with blood was found near the body of the victim. On the shirt were found what appeared to be hairs. A statement of the defendant's sister, Hilda Wilder, revealed that her brother (who lived with her) owned two body shirts of the size found at the scene; and, further, that the white shirt was missing after the first of August. Ms. Wilder's statement to the officers revealed that the morning the victim's body was found, she saw the defendant sleeping on the couch (defendant's usual sleeping place) in her den. His jeans and tennis shoes were present, but his shirt was absent. 3. At the scene, on the pavement, there was a print in dust. The print appeared to be of the same design as that of the tennis shoe belonging to the defendant. A photograph was made of the print for comparison with the shoe of the defendant by the crime lab. The defendant's tennis shoes, when recovered, had been very recently washed by his sister. A field spot test revealed the presence of blood on the shoes. 4. The victim was stabbed thirty-four times. The defendant's sister, Hilda Wilder surrendered nine knives belonging to the defendant. Defendant's nephew, Robert Wilder, told officers that defendant had a knife that he kept on the dash of his pickup. Young Wilder showed officers a similar knife, which, according to the wounds observed by officers and the State Medical Examiner, would be consistent with the weapon used to stab the victim. The knife normally kept on the dash of defendant's pickup is missing. A diver is on the way to cover Legion Lake in search of the knife. 5. Victim's pubic area was bruised and torn. Seminal fluid was present in the vaginal vault of the victim. A blood sample from the defendant would allow a comparison and possible match of blood types by analysis of the seminal fluid. In the case of genital-to-genital contract there is often a transfer of pubic hair, which gives rise to a need for pubic hair samples from the defendant. Evidence other than that found at the scene also links the defendant to the victim. Among that evidence are: 1. On the night of July 31, 1986, according to the defendant's statement to officers, defendant had been drinking. He had consumed eight to ten beers. 2. Again, according to defendant's statement, he was in the vicinity of the victim's home from about 9:00 P.M. until approximately 11:00 P.M. Defendant stated that he parked his truck in the vicinity of Parkway Baptist Church and walked to a location near the home of Iris Cowly in order to set up a watch to observe possible rival suitors. The fact that defendant's truck was parked near the Church was corroborated by independent witnesses. Victim's home was on the logical route from the location of the parked truck to the home of Ms. Cowly. 3. Ms. Cowly, who lives about one hundred yards from the victim's home, stated that the defendant was trying to get into her house about 11:00 P.M. on the night the victim was last seen. 4. The Medical Examiner gave the opinion that the victim had probably met her death between the hours of 9:00 P.M. and 3:00 A.M. 5. Somewhere around 10:00 P.M. on the 31st day of July, two witnesses, Jerry Adameck and Lawrence Renfroe, saw the victim, whom they knew, talking to a person whom they did not know. That person was described as a white male, wearing a white muscle shirt, and that this individual met the description of the defendant. That conversation was reported to have taken place at the intersection of McCullough Boulevard and Lawhon Street  a location not far from the victim's home. 6. On many occasions, victim had taken her brother, Rob Clayton, to work at Hancock's. The defendant also worked there and had opportunity to see victim on many occasions. Defendant had opportunity to see victim's car and when walking by the victim's home (Ms. Cowly said their walks had taken them by the victim's home) had ample opportunity to see victim's car and recognize the location of the victim's home. 7. An examination of defendant's pickup truck (defendant admitted driving the truck that night) revealed that the vehicle had been completely washed on the outside, the seats had been cleaned, the floor mats had been replaced, the seat covers had been removed, washed and were lying on the floorboard of the truck. The seats had been wiped clean. Iris Cowly told officers that defendant never washed his truck. Defendant admitted to Officer Rickels that he had washed his truck on Friday. Based on the above-stated facts and the reasonable inferences to be drawn therefrom, there appears probable cause to believe that the defendant killed the victim and that the defendant is in possession, in the form of head and body hair, saliva and blood, of certain evidence which may prove invaluable in the proving that the defendant did in fact kill and murder the victim.