A suspect was detained on Friday in connection with deaths of an Opp man who died in March.
In the words of Opp Police Department, Joseph Wayne Christopher 40, from Mobile was detained by police in Maricopa County, Arizona on an arrest warrant for the murder Kelvin Burks 41. The warrant for murder against Christopher was uncovered in October by the Opp Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division following its investigation.
Opp law enforcement officers received help with assistance from U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force when they discovered that Christopher had left Alabama and was in Arizona.
“The cooperation by law enforcement authorities across states led to the successful arrest of the suspect” Opp officials stated in the press release.
The investigation started the moment Opp Police responded to a emergency call on March 4 2023 around 12:55 p.m. Police were dispatched to a house located in the 2300 block W. Cummings Avenue following the report of a dead male. When they arrived, officers found Burks unconscious inside the kitchen area in the residence.
“Criminal investigators were summoned to the scene in order to investigate the situation thoroughly, and their tireless efforts ultimately led to the identification Joseph Wayne Christopher as a suspect in the heinous incident,” officials said.
It is the Opp Police Department expresses its gratitude to Mesa Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service-Fugitive Task Force and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency – State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), Alabama Fusion Center along with the Covington County District Attorney’s Office and all the other agencies that participated in the successful arrest of Christopher.
“The arrest marks an important step forward in the search for justice and accountability for the victim Kelvin Burks. The arrest also offers a sense of closure to the community.” added Opp Police.
Opp Police reminds the public that everyone accused of a crime is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty in the court of law.
The story Opp killer suspect is arrested in Arizona and charged in the the death of Kelvin Burks was first reported in The Andalusia Star-News.
