A Murder Across State Lines
In April 2003, Gary Brandon Hastings was found dead in Gautier, Mississippi. The official death certificate, signed by the Jackson County Coroner, listed the cause of death as asphyxia due to strangulation by ligature. Mississippi’s own forensic pathologist, Dr. Paul McGarry, confirmed this finding and stated under oath that there was no gunshot wound.
Despite that, prosecutors in Baldwin County, Alabama seized the case, claiming jurisdiction even though the death occurred in another state. Without physical evidence or authority to prosecute, they built their case around a fabricated gunshot theory that contradicted every piece of forensic evidence.
A Fabricated Narrative
There was no bullet, no DNA, no fingerprints, no blood, and no murder weapon. The State’s only evidence came from the coerced statement of Jarius McNeil, who had already confessed to the killing. Facing the death penalty, McNeil agreed to change his story and accuse Murray in exchange for leniency.
Murray Lawrence Jr. had never met Brandon Hastings. At the time of the murder, he was home in Alabama with his girlfriend, surrounded by multiple witnesses who confirmed his alibi. None of this mattered to a prosecution determined to secure a conviction.
A Trial Without Justice
Murray’s defense attorney failed to challenge the jurisdictional issues or expose the fabricated evidence. Key alibi witnesses were never called, and Murray was advised not to testify. He was convicted in 2005 of capital murder during a robbery and sentenced to life without parole.
Meanwhile, Jarius McNeil, the confessed killer, received a lighter sentence of life with the possibility of parole. The man who took a life may one day go free, while the innocent man he framed remains behind bars.
