Ten years after the murder of Renee Eldridge a Superior Court judge has set a trial date for suspect Stacey Gray in Columbus. Judge Carolyn “Tippi” Burch set the trial to begin on November 17, 2025, according to District Attorney Don Kelly.
Eldridge was abducted from her home in Columbus during the early morning hours of July 4th, 2015. Her body was found in a Valley, Alabama creek three days later. She suffered from blunt force trauma to the head according to an autopsy report.
Stacey Gray was a family friend at the time of the murder and was identified as the prime suspect early on in the case. Gray was captured and taken into custody in Notasulga, Alabama after a manhunt July 13, 2015. Charges initially brought in Chambers County were dismissed in 2021 after a court ruling excluding DNA evidence. Gray was then extradited back to Columbus for charges of rape and false imprisonment. Those charges stemmed from an earlier, separate incident allegedly involving Eldridge…