Murder suspect waives preliminary hearing

The capital murder suspect accused of killing a man in Latimer waived his preliminary hearing in Jackson County this morning.
Forty-year-old Thomas Stafford is accused of murdering his roommate, 65-year-old Jerry Kirkendall, by strangulation before stuffing his body into a freezer at a rental house in March.
Authorities say Stafford also stole Kirkendall’s car, which he sold to his cousin in Alabama before being apprehended in Portland, Oregon and then extradited back to the Gulf Coast.
Stafford’s initial appearance was in April where he was denied bond. Because he denied his preliminary hearing today, his case will be sent right to the grand jury.