Murder Between The Headstones

"This boils down to a father upset that Bobby Kellum was with his 17-year-old daughter."

Kellum's throat was slit and body burned in May of 1977. The girl's father, Dewitt Thrash, was apparently angry that Kellum ran off with his daughter. The Marshall County Sheriff confirms that Thrash brutally killed him while two other men watched. They were drunk. They were angry. And, in an instant, Bobby Kellum vanished off the face of the earth. His body was found, but his identity unknown.

Today, Marshall County Sheriff Scott Walls unraveled the mystery from 30 years ago. For three decades, the unidentified body was buried in small plot at the Arab City Cemetery.
A NewsChannel 19 Taking Action Investigation lead to that body being identified as Bobby Kellum and his killers being identified. NewsChannel 19's Sand Mountain Bureau Chief, Carson Clark, did yeoman work and provided the spark that lead to this murder story being resolved.

This story isn't over, though. Thrash and an accomplice in the brutal murder, Troy Barnes, are dead. But, the third man present on that night in May 1977 is still alive. His name is CW Brooks and he's terminally ill. He has six months left. Maybe eight. Not much time left to wonder if you've been a good man. Not much time left to say bye. Not much time left to cleanse your soul of dark secrets which keep you awake at night, fearing what you may dream.

For thirty years, CW Brooks lived with the secret of Bobby Kellum's horrifying murder.
Sheriff Walls says Brooks statement was key to solving the crime. "He has six months to live and didn't want to go to his grave with that on his mind," Walls said.

Looking squarely at the end of your days has a way of bringing instant clarity
to defining issues in your life. Brooks can't say, "I'm sorry" to Bobby Kellum.
But, by saying "I was there," he can give the Kellum family the answer to Bobby's fate.

In Ecclesiastes, it's written "there is a time to kill and a time to heal."
As his life slowly ends, CW Brooks must have realized the need to heal. The need to come clean. He's lead a long life. He's had time to reflect on what sins to confess.

Time. A long life. Confession after years of reflections. CW Brooks understands the value and precious nature of those opportunities.

I'm glad he took advantage of the opportunity to cleanse his soul.
Bobby Kellum's family wishes he had enjoyed the same opportunity.