Murder Victim Found Holding A Piece Of Paper With A Clue Scrawled On It That Led Straight To Suspect

A Tennessee murder victim was reportedly found holding a piece of paper which contained the license plate number of his alleged killer.

Bryan Hervey, 61, was found dead outside a home in Cordova on May 15. Bryant Ward, 24, was arrested in connection with the homicide, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department announced Friday.

An affidavit obtained by Memphis-based Commercial Appeal reveals that Hervey suffered multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead on the spot. His his silver 2003 Mazda SUV was nearby, also riddled with bullets. The yard where Hervey died was not his own. Security camera footage at the resident reportedly showed him running up to the door screaming for help, according to the Commercial Appeal. In the victim’s hand, a piece of paper which read "BHN-561 dark.” That is Ward’s license plate neighbor, the complaint states. Hervey and Ward lived on the same street, and the paper in the victim’s hand led investigators straight to Ward’s sister, who owns a dark vehicle that matched the description, the Commercial Appeal reports.

Ward’s sister was taken in for questioning and she allegedly admitted to being in the car with her brother when the victim drove by and made eye contact with her sibling. That eye contact allegedly enraged her brother, who began shooting, WMC5 in Memphis reports. Surveillance footage from homes in the neighborhood appeared to show a person hanging out the passenger-side window of a dark car shooting towards Hervey’s direction.

Two days after investigators spoke to Ward’s sister, Ward was arrested. It’s not clear if she will also face charges. It’s not clear if Ward has a lawyer who can speak on his behalf but he did request a public defender when he appeared in court Tuesday on a first-degree murder charge. He’s due back in court on May 29.