Mark Wesley Scott, Bobby Ray Scott and David Ray Scott have been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Justin Hocutt
Credit: Missouri State Highway Patrol
NEED TO KNOW
-
Three brothers have been charged in connection with the 1999 murder of 14-year-old Justin Hocutt in Missouri
-
The Barry County Sheriff’s Office announced that Mark Wesley Scott, Bobby Ray Scott and David Ray Scott had been charged with first-degree murder in the cold case
-
Investigators with the Missouri State Highway Patrol reopened the case in May after receiving credible tips and retesting evidence through a crime lab
Three brothers have been arrested and charged in the 1999 cold case murder of a 14-year-old boy who was found dead in southwestern Missouri.
On Friday, July 24, Barry County Sheriff Danny Boyd announced in a press release that his office had charged three men, identified as Mark Wesley Scott, Bobby Ray Scott and David Ray Scott, in connection with the first-degree murder of Justin Hocutt.
KSNF identified the three men as brothers.
Hocutt was last seen alive during the morning hours of Oct. 9, 1999, at a residence in his hometown of Seligman, Mo., according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP). The following morning, Hocutt’s body was found on train tracks near his home.
Credit: Missouri State Highway Patrol
In May, the MSHP announced that Hocutt’s case had been reopened after law enforcement officials received several “credible leads” in the form of tips. Investigators also resubmitted evidence for additional testing through the agency’s Crime Laboratory.
“Hocutt was 14 years old at the time of his death, and there is substantial evidence and/or circumstances regarding this case which make it suspicious in nature,” MSHP Sergeant Bradley Germann said in the May press release, sharing that the Barry County Sheriff’s Office had asked for help from state officers in the investigation.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
“We believe there are individuals who know details about the incident and what happened to Hocutt,” Germann continued. “This was likely not an accident, and we ask those individuals who know more about the incident to contact investigators. The Hocutt family deserves to know what happened to their child. I believe this case can be solved with the help from the community.”
Officials have not yet shared how or if the three brothers knew Hocutt before his murder.
Hocutt’s aunt, Tammy Tolbert, spoke with KY3 and recalled the moment that Sheriff Boyd called her to share the news that his office had made three arrests.
“We went up there yesterday morning and the best news we could have ever hoped for, of course, that they’ve made three arrests of the people that had hurt Justin,” Tolbert said, adding that their family didn’t know if the day would ever come when they saw Hocutt’s alleged killers arrested.
“The relief — 27 years coming. And thank God for Sheriff Boyd and the people that have been there, because they’ve made a huge difference in our lives,” she continued.
Tolbert urged other families involved in cold cases not to “give up hope.”
“You wouldn’t have a day like today if you gave up hope. So, yeah, there’s always hope,” she said.
“It doesn’t get any better when they finally told us,” Tolbert added. “It’s finally justice for Justin. And that’s all we want.”
One of the men is in custody in Barry County, Boyd said, and the other two are in custody out of state. The sheriff’s office is set to hold a news conference about the case at 10 a.m. local time on Tuesday, July 28.
Read the full article here
