WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — After 14 years, Warner Robins police are reopening the murder of a man shot outside his apartment. It’s the first in a series of cold cases that will get a new look.
In 2008, Ronald Orlando Brown was shot outside of his apartment. Warner Robins police say Brown struggled with two men who tried to rob him. They left him lying in the parking lot, and he later died.
"One of the bad guys dropped his hat, which is the hat that is placed on our Facebook page, and that’s all we have," Warner Robins Police Chief John Wagner explained.
14 years later, that hat and witness accounts could give the case a second chance at being solved.
"So we're hoping that putting this case back out to the public that perhaps somebody would remember something or think about it," he said.
Chief Wagner says they want to give Brown's family closure, and this is the first of many to get a second look.
"We want to make sure these cases are always at the tip so that we can clear them, not only for the victim, but also for the families,” he continued.
Houston County's Acting DA William Kendall says he and Assistant Police Chief Chris Rooks worked together on the idea. Every two weeks, they will post another unsolved case and a new $8,000 reward for new tips and leads.
“We are in a position at the DA's office to take some of the seized funds that essentially we have taken away from criminals, and reapply that money back out into the community to seek information," Kendall said.
Kendall says some of those cold cases date back to 1986, and his office often gets calls from loved ones of victims looking for answers.
"We can’t forget about the cases that are still out there where justice needs to be sought, where we still have victims and family members of victims who are still owed our duty as prosecutors and as law enforcement," he said.
Kendall says Warner Robins police aren't the only agency that will be working on these cold cases. They'll also work with the Houston County Sheriff's Office as well as the Perry and Centerville police departments on reopening those unsolved mysteries.