Richmond County authorities have solved a cold case from four decades ago with the arrest of a homeless man.
Jeffrey Deon Mickens, 58, has been charged with murder in the 1982 armed robbery and shooting death of 34-year-old Betty Jo Lackey. On May 27, 1982, the victim was shot at B.J. Designs T. Shirtery Shack on Wrightsboro Road.
On Thursday, sheriff’s investigators interviewed Mickens in reference to the case and obtained probable cause to charge him with murder, armed robbery and weapon possession. Mickens would have been 17 years old at the time of the murder.
The suspect was last arrested in March 2022 for burglary in the first degree.
Note: If you have a photo of Betty Jo Lackey to share, please call or text 803-487-3224.
