Ex-boyfriend charged with capital murder

Posted on January 8, 2016

A custody struggle over a two-month-old baby turned deadly Wednesday, leaving a 36-year-old Perry man, Billy Gear, facing a capital murder charge for the death of a 23-year-old mother.

The body of Melissa Darnell was discovered Wednesday, Jan. 6, around 4 p.m., in a heavily wooded area located off Church Street and Old Dixie Highway. Her death is  being investigated as a homicide.

Photo: Billy Gear, 36, appeared before Judge Bill Blue Thursday morning via a live remote from the Taylor County Jail. Blue ordered the murder suspect to be held without bond.

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