A Columbus man has been released from the Lowndes County Adult Detention Center after being charged with murder.
Curtis Hinton, 47, 2523 5th Ave. N. in Columbus, turned himself in to the police on July 5 after a warrant was issued for his arrest in June for his alleged involvement in the cold case murder of George Wilbanks. Hinton was arraigned on a capital murder charge and his bond was set at $2 million.
Hinton was released from the LCADC Friday after a grand jury reached a “no bill” decision, meaning the jury did not find enough evidence to indict Hinton on the charges. A “no bill” does not mean the charges have been officially dropped against Hinton.
Hinton and his family declined to comment when contacted by phone Friday morning.
Ernest Talley, 44, of 805 Remunda Drive, was arrested Feb. 17 in connection with the 1997 murder of 70-year-old George Wilbanks. Wilbanks’ murder was the second of five which occurred between 1996 and 1998.
Wilbanks’ body was discovered in his home Nov. 2, 1997. He had been stabbed and strangled. His murder was the second in a string of five murders of senior citizens. All five victims died in a similar fashion and lived within a three-mile radius of one another in north Columbus. Wilbanks lived on Second Avenue North at the time of his death.
“We’re not going to let (Talley’s case) fall by the wayside,” Columbus Police Chief Selvain McQueen said. “We are going to continue to actively pursue all leads and hopefully we can bring some closure to the victims and their families. We have no control over what juries decide and we must respect the majesty of the judicial system. I do support the work of my investigators in this case.”
Jeff Clark was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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