Suspects arrested in County Road 44 deaths
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, September 3, 2003
Micheal Anthony Landrum, 41, of Sweet Water, a former All-State quarterback for Sweet Water High and member of the Alabama Crimson Tide, was arrested Wednesday morning and charged with the murder of Ida Little, 52, and Mikayla Little, 3, August 21 in a trailer on County Road 44 north of Linden.
Jeffery Napier, 21, of Lisman, Ala., was also arrested in the case.
The arrest report stated that Landrum is currently employed as a foreman with Georgia Pacific in Pennington, Ala. He received notoriety as the first black quarterback to play for the University of Alabama in a September 29, 1979 game against Vanderbilt.
Landrum was arrested at his residence on 464 Winter Drive in Sweet Water by chief sheriff’s deputy Tommie Reese and deputy Randy Sanders. The time of the arrest was officially set at 8:30 a.m.
Napier was formally arrested at 2:20 a.m. Wednesday at the Marengo County Sheriff’s Department.
Each suspect was charged with two counts of capital murder and are being held in the Marengo County Jail.
The two victims were discovered the morning of August 21 in the older victim’s trailer located at County Road 44 and Cougar Lane. They were both shot, said Tommie Reese, chief deputy with the Marengo County Sheriff’s Department.
Marengo County Sheriff Jesse Langley has been quoted as saying they suffered blows to the head in the attack, which occurred between 3 and 4 a.m.
Reese said no time line for the incident has been developed. "We are awaiting evidence from Forensic Sciences to give us a timeline."
Investigators from the sheriff’s department, the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, and the District Attorney’s office were joined by the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in Birmingham and law officers from Choctaw County (where suspect Napier lives), Lauderdale County, Mississippi and Scott County, Mississippi, Reese said.
Evidence was uncovered in Mississippi, he said. It has been reported a truck allegedly involved in the case was brought back from Mississippi.
Officials have been working 19 to 20-hour-days on the case, the chief deputy said.
The sheriff’s department had "good strong leads" from the start of the investigation, Reese said. "We got information from the community.
Wanda Little, the daughter of the older victim and mother of the younger victim, returned home Sunday from duty in Iraq, authorities said. Little, a single mom, is in the Army National Guard and was stationed in Iraq. She was deployed in February.
Two other children, a nine-year-old boy and a seven-year-old girl, were said to be in the trailer at the time of the attack. The children were unharmed, Reese had said earlier, and they are currently staying with family.
The door of the trailer, located on County Road 44 and Cougar Lane had been kicked in, a relative said.
Victim Ida Little was employed with New Era Cap Company in Demopolis.
Suspect Landrum is the father of the three-year-old victim, Reese said. Suspect Napier has no family connection or any relationship with the victims that Reese knew of.
Neither suspect has a previous criminal record.
Reese said the community on County Road 44 should feel safe that these suspects have been arrested, however, the investigation continues. Anyone with information on this case should call the sheriff’s department at 295-4208.
Funeral services for the victims were held August 27 at Friendship Baptist Church on County Road 44. Abernathy Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements.