Fifth suspect arrested in murders
Published 10:16 am Wednesday, September 10, 2008
A fifth suspect has been arrested in connection with five deaths last month at a North Shelby apartment complex.
U.S. Marshals arrested Derreck Green, 32, of Birmingham Tuesday night outside Nashville, Tenn.
Green faces two counts of capital murder and will be extradited from Tennessee.
Four suspects have already been arrested. They also face two counts of capital murder and are in the Shelby County Jail without bond.
Previously charged were: Alejandros Castaneda, 31; Juan Fransisco Castaneda, 25; Jaime Duenas Rodriguez, 22; and Christopher Scott Jones, 40.
Sheriff’s deputies also arrested another man in Birmingham on Tuesday.
Marteze Terman Radford, 26, faces charges of hindering prosecution and is in the Shelby County Jail on $500,000 bond.
Authorities wouldn’t elaborate on Radford’s charges, other than to say they were connected to the homicides. He isn’t considered a suspect in the murders, authorites said.
The five victims, all men, were found dead at Cahaba Lakes apartments on Aug. 20. They had been beaten, tortured, electrocuted and had their throats slashed.
Investigators believe the slayings were a murder-for-hire over missing drug money.
Sheriff Chris Curry said Green’s out-of-state arrest proves how well different agencies are working together in the case.
“The complexity and the far reaching extent of this investigation have made it very unique for our sheriff’s office,” said Curry. “[We] have had excellent support from so many law enforcement agencies.”