It took northwest Georgia deputies less than five hours to locate the man accused in a deadly shooting. Early Monday, Gordon County investigators spotted a brush fire in the woods, and their suspect was sitting beside it.
James Douglas Talley, 52, is accused of shooting and killing a man inside a home near the Whitfield County line Sunday night, according to Gordon Sheriff Mitch Ralston. Deputies were called to the Hill Community home about 9:30 p.m. and found a man dead from a gunshot wound, Ralston said.
The victim’s name has not been released, pending notification of family members. And investigators have not determined a motive in the killing, Ralston said.
But deputies were able to quickly identify Talley as the suspect and began an extensive search for him. About 1:30 a.m. Monday, Talley’s abandoned truck was located, and about 45 minutes later, Ralston and another deputy spotted a brush fire in nearby woods.
“The sheriff and deputy quickly stopped their vehicle and recognized the suspect, James Douglas Talley, sitting at the fire,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Monday. “The fire appeared to have grown beyond Talley’s control and he was attempting to extinguish it with a can of beer. Talley, who had removed his shoes in an apparent effort to warm his feet in the sub-freezing temperatures, still had the firearm that investigating detectives believe to be the murder weapon in his possession.”
Talley was arrested without incident and charged with murder. He was being held late Monday morning at the Gordon County jail. Talley had three previous stints in Georgia prisons, according to the state Department of Corrections. He was last released in August 2012 following a conviction for aggravated assault, records showed.
An autopsy on the shooting victim will be conducted by the GBI crime lab, Ralston said.
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