One dead in Fayette murder

Published 5:42 pm Sunday, May 23, 2010

FAYETTE — A machete the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office recovered Sunday is believed to be the murder weapon used in a Saturday night homicide in Fayette.

The JCSO received a 911 call late Saturday about a man on Oak Street who the caller believed to be deceased, Jefferson County Sheriff Peter E. Walker said.

When they arrived on the scene, JCSO investigators found Willie Queen Jr., 50, with lacerations to both his head and body. He was dead.

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Queen’s body was found on a lot with two abandoned structures on it, a house and a mobile home, and Queen was lying behind the house, Walker said.

Later, witnesses reported having seen Roy Cedric Larry, 43, in the area.

“The information we have gathered is that (Larry) and Mr. Queen had a confrontation earlier that evening in that same general location,” Walker said.

The JCSO has recovered enough evidence to consider Larry the prime suspect in the matter, and Walker said Larry is currently being detained in the Jefferson County Jail.

The machete that was recovered was covered in blood, Walker said.

“The lacerations on (Queen) could be consistent with that type of instrument,” he said.

The weapon will be sent to the state crime lab for testing, Walker said.

While the sheriff said he was unsure about other suspects in the case at this point, he said the investigation is ongoing and the sheriff’s office is continuing to conduct interviews.

A woman who did not want to be named but identified herself as a family member of Queen said he was a person who did not bother anybody.