Homicide suspect found 33 years later
His warrant showed up on an employer's background check.
Published Oct. 2, 2009
An arrest was made in the 33-year-old homicide case of a Columbia resident, a Columbia Police Department news release stated.
According to the news release, Johnny Wright was taken into custody after police in an Atlanta suburb discovered the outstanding warrant for his arrest.
Wright is accused of murdering 23-year-old Rebecca Doisy, who was last seen at the Heidelberg with Wright on Aug. 5, 1976. Doisy was reported missing by her sister two days later, CPD spokeswoman Jessie Haden said.
Investigators never located Doisy's body, so physical evidence in the case is limited. Instead, police focused their attention on witness accounts. One witness claimed to have been involved with the disposal of Doisy's body, Haden said.
It appears as though Wright had multiple contacts with Doisy, visiting her at work in Ernie's Cafe and Steakhouse on more than one occasion. Haden also said Doisy had attended MU.
The investigation lasted nine years before CPD obtained a warrant for Wright's arrest for second-degree murder, Haden said. By the time warrant was issued, Wright was no longer in Columbia. Police could not locate Wright during the nationwide search that soon followed. CPD pursued reports that Wright had fled to Mexico but was unable to locate him, Haden said.
The crime was technically considered solved because a warrant had been issued, but CPD viewed it as an open case because Wright was still a free man, Haden said. One investigator continued to monitor the case from home after his retirement.
Several years ago, CPD Investigative Commander Stephen Monticelli re-examined evidence in this case, looking for more witnesses and pieces of evidence that could be explained using new technologies, but CPD found no new leads.
For part of a job application to be a driver, Wright paid the Lawrenceville Police Department to conduct a background check, Haden said. When investigators ran the check, they found the outstanding warrant for second-degree murder, a Lawrenceville Police Department news release stated.
Wright had gone undetected by police until being arrested in Lawrenceville, Ga. on Sept. 23, Haden said.
The Department verified the information with Boone County and used a physical description and a scar on Wright's wrist to identify him, Lawrenceville Police Department Capt. Greg Vaughn said. Wright was arrested without incident in the lobby of the police department.
"(The arrest was) very unique and that's an understatement," Haden said. "In this day and age we hear about old cases being solved with new technology but I have never heard of one being solved because a suspect unknowingly turned himself in."
Investigators are actively working on the case by reviewing the case's files and preparing to contact witnesses and Wright, Haden said.
Wright, 65-years-old, is in custody at the Gwinnett Sheriff's Department, the release stated. His bond has been set at $100,000.