Last city murder was in 2001

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, February 16, 2016

The death Saturday night of an Evergreen man in Andalusia in which a local teen is charged with murder is the first murder case since 2001, Andalusia Police Chief Paul Hudson said.

Curtis Castleberry

Curtis Castleberry

It was a little more than 15 years ago to the date, on Feb. 11, 2001, when Curtis Castleberry, then 23, confessed to killing his father with an aluminum baseball bat.

His father, Ray Castleberry, was 61. His son hid his body under the bed in a Belvedere Drive home they shared.

After family members reported Ray Castleberry missing, police went to his home and found his body. They then began looking for a vehicle registered to the men, and arrested Curtis Castleberry after a high-speed chase, according to Star-News archives. Law enforcement officers said then that the younger Castleberry was known to have a drug problem.

Castleberry currently is serving his murder sentence in Donaldson Correctional Facility.

He is eligible for parole consideration on Oct. 1, 2016, according to the Alabama Department of Corrections web site.