Murder charges against Oak Hill native dismissed - Beckley, Bluefield & Lewisburg News, Weather, Sports

Murder charges against Oak Hill native dismissed

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The wheels are moving on a pair of murder cases in the Fayette County court system.  There were two murders in Oak Hill within a week.

The first case against Terreque Gray was sent to the Grand Jury.  The second, which happened only days later, is headed back to the investigators. 

Magistrate Leonard Bickford dismissed the murder charges against Jeffrey Dale Lafferty on Tuesday, Jan. 29.  Lafferty had been accused of killing Michael Sheets, 46, of Scarbro.  Sheets was killed at an apartment house located at 1440 East Main Street on Monday, Jan. 21. 

The call started as a trespassing investigation.  When police arrived they found Sheets lying inside and emergency responders were not able to revive him. He was taken to Plateau Medical Center where he was officially declared dead.

Lafferty apparently lived in the apartment where Sheets' body was discovered. The initial investigation lead police to believe that Lafferty was involved in the murder.  According to Magistrate Bickford's office, the charges were dismissed without prejudice, because there wasn't enough evidence in the case. 

The crime is still under investigation by the Oak Hill Police Department.