Nearly 13 years after a Lilburn woman disappeared, police charged a suspect with murder in connection with her death, Channel 2 Action News reported.
On Oct. 24, 2005, hairdresser Leslie Marva Adams, who was 40 years old at the time, failed to show up for a sister’s birthday party, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
Police said they found a .45-caliber shell casing and blood in her apartment, and her car also remained parked outside.
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Five days before she vanished, Adams sought a temporary restraining order against her ex-boyfriend Billy Joe Cook, The AJC reported. She claimed Cook was excessively jealous and had choked, stalked, beaten and threatened her numerous times during their 18-month relationship.
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Credit: Nick Arroyo
Credit: Nick Arroyo
Cook denied having anything to do with the disappearance, The AJC reported. On the night of her disappearance, he called Adams twice.
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In 2007, Adams’ remains were found in a swamp in Franklin County, and a serial number on a breast implant helped identify her, Channel 2 reported.
Investigators never named Cook as a suspect until Thursday. He now faces a felony murder charge, the news station reported.
TJ Ward, the private investigator the family hired in 2005, told Channel 2 a Gwinnett County District Attorney investigator contacted him two week ago. It’s unclear what new evidence led to Cook’s arrest.
“I think he was jealous of her, because that’s what created the monster when she had gone out with some friends on the night he showed up, and a domestic situation started,” Ward said.
Cook, who is now 50 years old, remains in the Gwinnett County Jail without bond, according to jail records.
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