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DNA links suspect to murder scene
Dodsons were stabbed to death, TBI agent says
Bryan-Cooke-caughtWEB
Bryan James Cooke is the man who stabbed local store owners Gary and Gail Dodson.
With the blood of his victims found on his clothes and the murder weapon lying nearby, prosecutors say Bryan James Cooke is the man who stabbed local store owners Gary and Gail Dodson to death last summer inside their home.Cooke, the son-in-law to the couple he allegedly killed, was bound to the grand jury by Judge Bill Locke on Tuesday afternoon following a preliminary hearing in which TBI agent Lance Walker revealed the couple was stabbed to death by a kitchen knife that he believes the suspect may have shoplifted from Walmart hours before his fatal visit to their home.“Both victims sustained what appears to be multiple stab wounds,” Walker testified of his discovery inside their home.Walker said he believes Cooke robbed the couple, judging from the evidence he found.“Mr. Dodson’s blue jean shorts appeared to have been rummaged through and pockets turned inside out,” Walker testified, noting Mr. Dodson was found on the couch while Mrs. Dodson was found in a bedroom. “In the kitchen area, Mr. and Mrs. Dodson’s wallets had been gone through and there was a bank bag that had been opened and emptied.”Walker later pointed out that when Cooke was found hiding out the next day in a Jacksonville, Fla., motel, he had a large sum of money. He also had the Dodson’s Jeep, which was missing when their bodies were found.