Two Opelika men charged with capital murder in case linked to Columbus

Two men already charged with murder in connection with the shooting death of an Opelika man were formally arrested Friday after a Lee County grand jury issued capital murder indictments against each suspect.

Martez Anthony Simmons , 26, and Marquavious Tirrell Howard , 25, both of Opelika have been held in the Lee County Detention Center on charges since Sept. 30, 2016. The initial charges on each included one count of murder, robbery first degree and theft first degree in the death of 67-year-old William Lewis Foreman of Opelika.

Charges stem from an incident that occurred about 10:35 p.m. Aug. 30 when the Columbus Police Department was called to a burning van on Old Cusseta Road in Columbus. The vehicle, a white 2005 Chrysler Town and Country mini van, was unoccupied at the time and belonged to Fast Service Cabs of Opelika.

About 6:30 a.m. CDT Aug. 31, Lee County Sheriff’s Office was called to the intersection of Lee Road 401 and Lee Road 170 in Salem, Ala. Deputies located a man later identified as Foreman with multiple gunshots. Foreman was the owner of the taxi found burning in Columbus.

Simmons and Howard were linked to the shooting during the investigation and arrested in the murder of Foreman.

Anyone with more information in the case should contact the Lee County Sheriff’s Office at 334-749-5651 or Lee County Crime Stoppers at 1-888-522-7847.

This story was originally published April 21, 2017 at 8:39 PM with the headline "Two Opelika men charged with capital murder in case linked to Columbus."