MEMPHIS, TN – Shelby County District Attorney Bill Gibbons announced Friday that a Memphis man had been sentenced to life in prison for the 2004 robbery and murder of a man whose body was found in the Wolf River near Kennedy Park.
On Thursday, a jury found E. Louis Thomas, 28, guilty as indicted for first degree murder in the perpetration of a felony.
The family of Chris Steven Frazier, 34, had reported the victim missing in May 2004. On May 28, 2004, the Memphis Fire Department responded to a fire behind the Burlington Coat Factory on Stage Road. There, firefighters found Frazier’s burned vehicle. One day after Frazier’s vehicle was located, a man canoeing in the Wolf River found the victim’s body. The Shelby County Medical Examiner ruled Frazier’s death a homicide. Police arrested Thomas and co-defendant Percy L. Jones on May 30, 2004 following tips generated by media reports.
Jones, who was also indicted for first degree murder in the perpetration of a felony, is awaiting trial.
The charge of first degree murder is covered under the D.A.’s “No Deals” policy on violent crimes. Exceptions are made to the policy for legal and ethical reasons.
Assistant District Attorneys James Wax and Glen Baity prosecuted this case. |