Tyrone Murphy
Chattanooga Police said, using a special detection device, they found a blood trail from the apartment of murder victim Ashley Cates to that of 57-year-old Tyrone Murphy on the same floor of an older house in Highland Park.
Charges of criminal homicide and tampering with evidence were bound to the Grand Jury on Thursday against Murphy by General Sessions Court Judge Alex McVeagh. Murphy remains on the same bond.
Detective Tamika Bruce said Murphy first became a suspect when blood was spotted on his door knob.
It was also noticed that he had a cut right hand that he had stitched up at Erlanger Hospital. He claimed he had cut it carrying out trash at Sticky Fingers downtown, where he worked. The restaurant manager and fellow employees said they had no knowledge of him cutting his hand.
It was testified that police checked out a first floor laundry room and found a bag of items that Murphy said he had been planning to wash. It included an extra-large T-shirt with blood on it and a bloody rag. There was also a silver purse and the driver's license of Ms. Cates.
Detective Bruce said the mother of Ms. Cates was with her at the apartment until almost midnight on June 3. The family found her body the next day.
Murphy was at Erlanger getting the hand stitched at 10 a.m. on June 4.
Prosecutor Lance Pope said Murphy earlier got a five-year sentence for strong arm robbery and had a burglary conviction in 2010.