Woman stabbed to death at her home 24 years ago, Georgia cops say. Now, man charged

Julie Ann McDonald was found stabbed to death at her home in 2000, Georgia authorities said.

Twenty-four years later, 63-year-old Clarence George of Alabama has been charged with murder and aggravated assault in her death.

George is expected to be extradited to Georgia to face prosecution.

On June 11, 2000, McDonald’s body was discovered with multiple stab wounds at her home in LaFayette, Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson said at an Aug. 30 news conference.

She had been dead for about three or four days before her body was found, according to the sheriff.

McDonald, 42, and George knew each other, and he became an early suspect when he was found with her checkbook, according to Joe Montgomery, special agent in charge with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

But ultimately, the case went cold.

In 2015, investigators began looking into it again and submitted evidence for testing, but a suspect couldn’t be identified, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

In 2023, the case was reassigned and reviewed again. This time, investigators said they secured enough evidence to charge George.

“There was a lot of leg work and door-knocking,” Montgomery said.

The U.S. Marshals Service arrested George in Birmingham on Aug. 22, according to the GBI.

LaFayette is in northwest Georgia, about a 30-mile drive south from Chattanooga.

This story was originally published August 30, 2024 at 4:33 PM with the headline "Woman stabbed to death at her home 24 years ago, Georgia cops say. Now, man charged."