Phenix City man killed after stopping to aid fake stranded motorists, sheriff says
Anthony Wilborn stopped to help what he thought were two stranded motorists on Lonesome Pine Road in Phenix City before the men overpowered him and shot him dead, thinking he carried a lot of cash to pay for a new home he was building, investigators said.
His family reported him missing to Phenix City police around 11:30 a.m. Oct. 21. About 3 p.m. Oct. 30, the 39-year-old was found dead in a creek off Blanding Road in Hatchechubbee, Alabama, about 20 miles from where he was abducted, Russell County Sheriff Heath Taylor said Friday.
Because the body had been there nine days, it was badly decomposed, leaving investigators with few clues to go on and many unanswered questions.
DNA evidence and a lot of hard work changed all that, Taylor said during a morning news conference where he announced two suspects had been arrested on capital murder charges.
He identified the two as Gary Cochran, 46, who was arrested at 10:50 a.m. Nov. 25, and Juavon Marquise Williams, 26, arrested around 7 p.m. that same day. Both are from Phenix City, Taylor said.
Details of the case
With six of Wilborn’s relatives standing beside him Friday at the Russell County Sheriff’s Office, Taylor told the story of how investigators believe the victim was accosted and fatally shot, and why.
He said Wilborn and the two suspects were acquainted, and he likely recognized them when they flagged him down on Lonesome Pine Road and asked whether he could help them jump their car off.
“When he got out of the car and started to try to help them is when we believe that they got into a struggle, and Anthony fought back as good as he could, and they overcame him,” the sheriff said.
Whether Wilborn was shot there or somewhere else was unclear, he said.
Because Wilborn was building a new home mostly on his own, the alleged robbers thought he had a significant amount of cash, Taylor said: “He was building it somewhat himself, with subcontractors, and so he was carrying cash for the building of the house and materials and labor, and so we believe that the robbery is the motive in this case,” the sheriff said.
Besides evidence from where the body was dumped, Russell County investigators collected anything Phenix City police had gathered from the initial missing person case, he said.
DNA analysis of that evidence led to the arrests, he added: “DNA was crucial to our being able to solve this case.” Authorities also have seized the car they believe was used to take Wilborn from Lonesome Pine Road to the creek in the rural area outside Hatchechubbee, a gray Nissan Sentra that Williams had borrowed, he said.
‘We all miss him dearly’
Besides his wife, Wilborn leaves behind two stepdaughters, ages 18 and 22.
His uncle, Andrew Tyner, thanked Taylor and his officers for their persistence in pursuing an investigation that started with such scant evidence, saying Taylor had assured the family they would push as hard as they could.
“I know they’ve put in a lot of long hours, and I just can’t say how much we appreciate this,” Tyner said. “Anthony was my nephew, my sister’s youngest son, and we all miss him dearly. We think this is a senseless murder, and I just wish things like this wouldn’t happen.”
A veteran detective retired from the Columbus Police Department, Tyner has experience in long investigations: He solved the murder of Gold & Silver Trading Center manager Steve Toms, gunned down Nov. 15, 2011, during a robbery at the 3717 Gentian Blvd. business. Tyner’s questioning of suspect Michael Jerome “Big Smoove” Johnson uncovered the evidence needed to convict Johnson, who’s now serving life in prison without parole.
Taylor credited Wilborn’s family with aiding his investigators: “His wife has been very cooperative, the family itself has been very cooperative, and we probably wouldn’t be where we are without a lot of interaction and conversation with them.”
Wilborn’s homicide shows killing comes too easy for some, he said.
“What we deal with on a daily basis shows me that people have no value of life anymore, and that’s disheartening, not only for our victims, but you’ve got a 26-year-old male who is facing the death penalty,” Taylor said.
“We just would love to have a different opportunity and a different outcome in some of these cases,” he added. “We can’t bring back Anthony, but we can certainly speak for him and his family, and do the best we can to make sure that this doesn’t happen to somebody else.”
This story was originally published November 27, 2020 at 11:45 AM.