Cold Case Solved: Suspect Arrested in 2000 Murder of North Georgia Pharmacist

Authorities have arrested a suspect in the 2000 cold case murder of Julie Ann McDonald, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and the Walker County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO).

On Sunday afternoon, June 11, 2000, Julie McDonald, a 42-year-old pharmacist from Chattanooga, was discovered dead in her Walker County home at 75 Arnold Lane in LaFayette, Georgia. She was found tied to a chair with a telephone cord around her neck, her body displaying multiple stab wounds. It was determined she had been deceased for approximately 3 or 4 days prior to being found. At least one murder weapon was located at the scene.

The autopsy suggested McDonald was killed around Wednesday or Thursday, June 7 or 8, 2000. She was last seen in Fort Oglethorpe on June 7 at 12:09 p.m. During the initial investigation, her home was searched, revealing that her checkbook was missing.

Subsequently, Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested two men, including Clarence George, for bringing stolen property into the state. However, investigators lacked sufficient evidence to charge them with murder.

In 2015, Walker County Sheriff Wilson reopened the case, and progress was made. By 2023, the case was assigned to GBI Special Agent Daniel Nicholson and Walker County Investigations Lieutenant Billy Davis. Through re-interviews and updated DNA testing, they identified new evidence, leading to the recent arrest.

Clarence D. George, 63, of Birmingham, Alabama, was apprehended on Thursday, August 22, 2024, by U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force Agents in Jefferson County, Alabama. George is charged with murder and aggravated assault and is awaiting extradition to Walker County, Georgia. Evidence indicates that George and McDonald had known each other prior to the murder.