SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. – An Oklahoma woman who was extradited to Memphis in connection to the 2007 beating death of a Cordova man died in jail custody, the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday.
Sarah Lucas was arrested in December and charged with facilitation of first-degree murder and perjury in the death of Danny Harris.
The circumstances surrounding Lucas’ death were not immediately known.
Harris was found beaten to death in 2007 inside his Cordova apartment, leading to the convictions of Andrew Hayes and Tammy Vance. Vance has since died.
RELATED: DA Mulroy says wrong man convicted in deadly beating in 2007, announces new arrest
Earlier this month, District Attorney Steve Mulroy announced that he believes Hayes was wrongfully convicted and said that the real killer was Vance’s daughter, Sarah Lucas. The DA announced at the time that his office was awaiting Lucas’ extradition to Memphis.
Mulroy said Hayes was interrogated for 27 hours, leading him to falsely confess to killing Harris. That confession was inconsistent with physical evidence from the crime scene — and Vance testified Hayes did not help her, the DA said.
RELATED: Oklahoma woman accused in deadly 2007 beating extradited to Memphis, records show
In a statement Wednesday, the DA’s office said that Lucas’ death should not affect its effort to exonerate Hayes.
Lucas, 49, was set to be arraigned Thursday, the DA’s office said.
“Despite her passing, and due to the evidence collected by Stephen Harris, victim Danny Harris’ son, we do not anticipate that her passing should affect the exoneration of Andrew Hayes,” the DA’s office said in a statement. “We are grateful to Stephen Harris for his dedication to exposing the truth behind his father’s death, and extend our sincerest condolences to the family of Sarah Lucas.”
In wake of Lucas’ death, DA Mulroy offered the following statement:
“I’m sorry to hear Sarah Lucas Riedel has died, and I pray for all involved. Any death is a tragedy, but this one denies the family of Danny Harris a chance for closure and justice. It also denies Andrew Hayes, who we believe was wrongfully convicted of this murder, a chance for further proof of his innocence. While we won’t be able to prosecute Ms. Riedel, we will let the court know who we believe really killed Mr. Harris.”
Download the FOX13 Memphis app to receive alerts from breaking news in your neighborhood.
Trending stories: