8. Early Release

[00:00:19] Happy New Year's.

[00:00:21] Jody McHugh Hey Katie, Happy New Year's to you too.

[00:00:24] Katie Wells I'm excited to be here. We're back with the

[00:00:26] podcast. This is Episode 8 and it's January 3rd. We've had a little bit of a break. Have you been

[00:00:35] missing it? Jody McHugh Oh, you know it. I have been waiting to come

[00:00:39] back and do this next story. Mainly because it's connected to the last story.

[00:00:45] Katie Wells Oh yeah, that's right. So for anyone that's

[00:00:47] listening, if you want to go and listen to Episode 7, this one's kind of a follow on from

[00:00:53] that. Although it is a new Murder Link in itself. We're back with my dad sharing one of his stories.

[00:01:01] So settle in, get ready for your next episode of Murder Link. And don't forget, if you've got your own

[00:01:07] Murder Links, send them to us. Email hello at murderlink.com. We're still accepting submissions

[00:01:13] and we're looking forward to bringing other people's Murder Links to you soon. So dad,

[00:01:19] you ready to take it away?

[00:01:21] Katie Wells Oh yes, I've been waiting a couple of days now.

[00:01:25] Katie Wells All right, over to you.

[00:01:27] Katie Wells All right, so today's story is one of the perfect

[00:01:29] examples of how seemingly separate crimes can end up being linked in unexpected ways. Such as this case

[00:01:37] is connected to the Julie Love murder that was here in Atlanta some time ago. It was very famous here,

[00:01:44] which we covered in Episode 7. It had ties into the murders of Federal Judge Robert Vance Sr. and

[00:01:53] Civil Rights Attorney Robert E. Robinson as discussed in Episode 6. Today we're talking about the murder of

[00:02:24] Back in 1989, I was watching the news when I saw a story about an arrest and the murder of Dowdy Grimes. One of the men arrested, Brown McGee, was someone whom I had crossed paths with in juvenile, I'd say about seven years earlier. And let me clarify this now. Juvenile wasn't some prison scenario, not back then anyway. It was more like a military school setup.

[00:02:52] Juvenile was a military school setup. We were called students, we stayed in cottages, even had a high school on site. You can listen to me talk about my time there more on Episode 7. So while I was there, I got to know Brown. I didn't know him very well. I just knew he was illiterate. Just like Emmanuel Hammond, they would both ask me to write letters for him. So did other people. But I remember these two sticking out because of the murders.

[00:03:20] They would ask me to write letters. They would actually dictate these letters. And some would be to girlfriends, family members. I mean, it was kind of strange. But anyway, I'd write verbatim, word for word, what they would ask.

[00:03:35] After I left juvenile, I really didn't stay in touch with people. You know, they were on a different level and you really didn't know who they were. You didn't even know what they got arrested for.

[00:03:47] But I did one day run into Brown McGee at the Martyr Five Points train station. That's the city passenger hub in downtown Atlanta.

[00:03:56] But we talked for about 20 or 30 minutes. We walked around and smoked a joint. It was really weird. I was telling him, you know, my dreams, my plans for the future as he was telling me how he wanted to go steal a lamp out of the local department store named Rich's.

[00:04:15] He was going to sell this lamp. I guess it was a high dollar lamp or something. Once he told me that, I knew you're just not someone I would keep in touch with.

[00:04:23] That was the last time I saw him until that time on the news. So when it comes to Dowdy Grimes, he was a World War II veteran who lived in Fairburn, Georgia.

[00:04:37] He and his wife were out shopping one day on January 5th, 1989.

[00:04:44] Brown McGee and Drexel Stiggers started following them. They didn't know it.

[00:04:49] As they went home, they followed them home. And when they got out of their cars, they forced their way into their house.

[00:04:56] While they were in there, they beat Miss Stiggers.

[00:05:01] Then they went into a room, choked Mr. Stiggers to death after beating him.

[00:05:08] Afterward, they fled with jewelry and a wallet. That's all they got.

[00:05:13] Once they left, Miss Grimes found her way to the phone, called 911 and found her husband dead.

[00:05:20] Wow. That's so sad just to go shopping and then be targeted. I wonder if it was just because of their age or if they looked flash, but to be targeted after just a routine shopping trip.

[00:05:36] Old is what I would guess. They were older, so people thought they would be easy targets.

[00:05:41] Easy and vulnerable.

[00:05:42] That would be my assumption. Would not fight. Couldn't fight if they wanted to.

[00:05:46] Yeah, the most vulnerable. That poor woman.

[00:05:51] So when the police got their investigation, the evidence they found led them to search for Drexel Stiggers.

[00:05:59] The manhunt was intense. A tip led them to Brown McGee's home.

[00:06:04] At that point, they didn't have Brown tied to the murder case.

[00:06:08] So when they got to his house looking for Stiggers, they found evidence that linked McGee to Stiggers just the day before the murders.

[00:06:20] They also found evidence of another violent home invasion that had happened in Jonesboro, Georgia, where two people had been robbed on the 3rd of January.

[00:06:31] They had proof that Brown was with Stiggers on the 4th.

[00:06:36] And the home invasion occurred on the 3rd.

[00:06:39] And the murder occurred on the 5th.

[00:06:42] So they knew it was most likely that Brown had something to do with it.

[00:06:46] So they arrested him right then and there for the home invasion.

[00:06:50] Detectives continued their search for Stiggers.

[00:07:15] Here's where it gets frustrating.

[00:07:17] Drexel Stiggers had a criminal history.

[00:07:19] He had been convicted of robbery and even found not guilty by reason of insanity on seven robbery charges in Fulton County, Georgia.

[00:07:27] Just six months before the murder of Mr. Grimes, Stiggers was supposed to be transferred from DeKalb County to Fulton County,

[00:07:35] where he was then to be transferred to a state mental health facility.

[00:07:40] But because this information was communicated over phone instead of in writing, he was accidentally released.

[00:07:47] He never should have been free to begin with.

[00:07:50] And that mistake cost Mr. Grimes his life.

[00:07:53] This mistake later resulted in physical documentation to be required whenever there is a courthold on an inmate.

[00:08:01] But sadly, it was too late in this case.

[00:08:05] Oh, Dad, that is so sad.

[00:08:08] It's horrible.

[00:08:09] And I wonder if anyone was held responsible would be my question.

[00:08:12] And you know they weren't.

[00:08:14] But even if they were, like the person that made that mistake to know, like just the guilt is almost responsibility enough.

[00:08:23] The average person that has a conscious to know that their clerical error resulted in someone being free that committed murder.

[00:08:31] That's heavy.

[00:08:33] I agree.

[00:08:33] But once again, someone should have been held responsible.

[00:08:38] When it came time for court, things got even more complicated.

[00:08:43] At first, Stiggers was found incompetent to stand trial.

[00:08:47] Later, he was deemed competent and sentenced to 15 years for voluntary manslaughter,

[00:08:52] along with additional charges for the previous robberies, adding up to 135 years,

[00:09:00] even though he was still paroled on April 27, 2021, after 30 years served.

[00:09:07] Brown McGee cooperated with police and was sentenced to three concurrent 15-year sentences for voluntary manslaughter.

[00:09:16] That meant he was eligible for release after 15 years.

[00:09:21] Subsequently, he was arrested again for fleeing, obstruction, driving on a suspended license, and reckless driving.

[00:09:30] That occurred on November 27, 2024.

[00:09:35] Oh, wow.

[00:09:36] So he's, I guess it's not a surprise, actually, that he's still in the criminal justice system.

[00:09:42] Well, it is in one way, because you've spent all this time in prison for murder or involuntary manslaughter,

[00:09:48] if that's what you want to say.

[00:09:50] And when you get released, you haven't learned a lesson.

[00:09:54] Me, myself, I would straighten up.

[00:09:58] Yeah, but, you know, they do say once you're in the system.

[00:10:01] I mean, if that's the only thing that you know, and let's be honest, Dad, you met this person in juvenile.

[00:10:06] So it sounds like juvenile shaped you one way and maybe him a different way.

[00:10:12] Or he didn't get out of the system, as it were, as an adult.

[00:10:17] Well, that's a deep subject.

[00:10:18] It's more parental guidance.

[00:10:20] But yes, I agree with, yeah, we all took it differently and it shaped us different.

[00:10:24] That I would agree with.

[00:10:26] Yeah.

[00:10:27] And then he served, how many years did he serve in jail?

[00:10:30] So.

[00:10:31] 15.

[00:10:32] 15, right.

[00:10:33] Okay, right.

[00:10:34] So he's just stuck in that loop, I guess.

[00:10:38] Right.

[00:10:39] But to be released and to get into this trouble again, what else has he done or what else will he do?

[00:10:47] If you didn't learn a lesson, I'm just saying.

[00:10:51] Yeah, I mean, this feels like a big debate, but ultimately, how sad for the two families.

[00:10:56] There's the family of Mrs. Dowdy Grimes, Mrs. Grimes, who lost her partner.

[00:11:02] And then the couple before that was assaulted by these two men as well.

[00:11:07] And that's my whole point.

[00:11:09] There's no telling what he's liable to get arrested for next time.

[00:11:13] Yes.

[00:11:14] So in closing thoughts, this case, like so many others, kind of leaves your head shaking at the senselessness of it all.

[00:11:22] The system failed and a man lost his life because of it.

[00:11:26] McGee and Stiggers didn't just devastate the Grimes family.

[00:11:29] They left scars on everyone they hurt in their crime spree.

[00:11:35] Thanks again for listening to this episode of Murder Link.

[00:11:38] If you've got your own Murder Link, we'd love to hear about it.

[00:11:42] Please email us at hello at murderlink.com.

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[00:11:50] We love reviews.

[00:11:53] Love it, Dad.

[00:11:54] Thank you so much for sharing that story with us.

[00:11:57] We are back every week bringing a Murder Link to you.

[00:12:01] So stay tuned.

[00:12:02] If you have any questions, if you want to have a chat about any Murder Links that you have,

[00:12:07] do get in touch and we look forward to you joining us on the next one.

[00:12:11] Thanks, everyone.

[00:12:12] Bye.

[00:12:13] Bye.

[00:12:14] Bye.