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The sister of a 31-year-old PhD student murdered last week in Alabama believes her brother was killed by his boyfriend out of jealousy and possessiveness.
Deundray Cottrell, of Atlanta, went missing in Birmingham on July 4 while visiting family for the holiday with his boyfriend Julian Taylor Morris, 31.
His body was found two days later in a shed close to the home of his sister, Angelica Harris, and his death ruled a homicide. No arrests have been made.
A murder investigation was launched and Morris has been named a person of interest. A search for Morris, who has ties to Texas, Miami and New Jersey, is underway.
Harris told Al.com on Wednesday that her brother was in a throuple relationship with Morris and another man, DeEric Williams. Cottrell and Williams had been together for 14 years, according to his sister, and Morris became part of the throuple three years ago. All three of the men lived together and worked together.
“From what I understand, Julian was starting cause issues between Deundray and De Eric,’’ Harris told Al.com. “He would start spats that would isolate DeEric and Deundray from each other.”
Cottrell, Morris and Williams described themselves on Instagram as Atlanta’s hottest creative male performance trio and event hosts.
Williams, who did not travel to Birmingham, reacted to the news of Cottrell’s death on Facebook.
“My entire heart has been ripped out of my body. Good people are hurting. I wish I never let y’all go to Birmingham without me. No one can ever replace you,” he wrote.
At the time of his death, Cottrell was working on his doctoral degree. He had previously attended Jacksonville State University.
Harris told WSB-TV that she last saw her brother at 10pm on July 4 after he went upstairs to check on his dog during the fireworks. Morris disappeared around the same time, she said.
She said Morris was the one who then alerted her that her brother was missing.
Morris allegedly told Angelica that her brother had jumped off the patio balcony, then “took off running.”
But as the family began to search for him, she said that Morris’ behavior was strange. “While we looked – Julian didn’t,” she told the TV station. “At one point when everybody was searching, Julian had fixed a plate and was sitting there eating, and he looked at me and said, OMG, the food is so good.”
Birmingham police officers said they were dispatched to a missing person call at a residence in the 7900 Block of 4th Avenue South on July 4.
Ring doorbell cameras in the area later revealed Cottrell running through backyards and jumping over a gate on the night he went missing.
“It looked like he was looking for refuge,” Angelica told Al.com. “He was running for his life.”
On July 5, police recovered some of Cottrell’s clothing in the area, and a neighbor provided officers with surveillance footage of him.
Officers discovered Cottrell’s body the following day in a detached shed in the backyard of an abandoned residence.
“Details surrounding this investigation are suspicious,” Birmingham police said.
Victor Revill, an attorney representing Morris, told al.com that he is a “college-educated veteran whom has served his country faithfully as a Marine. He has no prior misdemeanor or felony convictions.”
He continued: “Despite the false narratives that are being promulgated about him in this situation, he loved Deundray Cottrell and is currently grieving the death of his loved one. Mr Morris wants answers as well and is awaiting those answers after a full and thorough investigation has been completed.”
