Criminal Details

WTVY.com
Mike Gurspan – Apr 10, 2017

Elba man in court for weekend fatal shooting in Enterprise

Today, Enterprise police released additional details in regard to a weekend homicide which claimed the life of 39-year-old Marcus Virghes of Elba.

This morning, Ted Caldwell also of Elba had his first court appearance on an open count of murder. The 31-year-old’s bond was set at 100-thousand dollars. Caldwell told the judge he planned to hire his own attorney.

Enterprise police say they responded to a call of a shooting at a home in the 14-hundred block of Sheffield Road early Sunday morning. They found the victim lying inside the garage, he had been shot with a handgun in the head and chest. Both men reportedly knew each other at what has been describe as a “social gathering”, but police have not elaborated what prompted the shooting. Authorities say its been difficult to get information from those in attendance.

Source: View WTVY.com Article

Criminal Details

WTVY.com
Press Release – Apr 9, 2017

ENTERPRISE (WTVY) On April 9, 2017 at 12:00 AM, the Enterprise Police Department initiated a homicide investigation at a residence in the 1400 Block of Shellfield Road Enterprise, AL. The homicide victim has been identified as Marcus Eugene Virghes, age 39, of Elba, AL. Virghes was pronounced deceased at the scene. At 6:30 PM, EPD Detectives arrested and charged Ted Carstiel Caldwell (PICTURED), age 31, of Elba, AL with Murder. Caldwell was transported to the Coffee County Jail after arrest.

The Enterprise Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division (CID) is conducting this investigation and asks that anyone with additional information to contact the Enterprise Police Department at (334) 347-2222 or leave a tip at www.enterprisepd.com.

Source: View WTVY.com Article

Criminal Details

SOUTHEASTSUN.com
Michelle Mann – July 19, 2017

An Elba man charged with murder was bound over to the Coffee County Grand Jury after a preliminary hearing before District Judge Chris Kaminski Monday, July 17.

After an hour of testimony by an Enterprise Police Criminal Investigation Division detective, Kaminski ruled that there was enough evidence to proceed with the murder charge against Ted Carstiel Caldwell, 31, who has remained free on $100,000 bond following his April 9 arrest.

Caldwell is charged in connection with the shooting death of Marcus Eugene Virghes, 39, also of Elba, that occurred at 1451 Shellfield Road in Enterprise in the early morning hours of April 9.

Enterprise Police Department Detective Will Ezell told the court Monday that he was called to the rental property after midnight in response to reports of a shooting that occurred during a party and cookout at the residence.

Ezell said that Virghes was lying dead near the entry of the garage with two gunshots to the chest. An autopsy report determined that a head wound Virghes had was later determined, through an autopsy, to have been caused by his fall to the garage floor. The cause of death was reported to be “homicide by gunshot wounds to the chest,” Ezell said.

Witnesses told police that Virghes and Caldwell’s brother, both of whom had been drinking alcohol, had been arguing when Caldwell intervened.

One witness told Ezell that Virghes pulled up his shirt to show that he had a gun in his waistband. At that point, the witness told police, she heard a round “get racked” into a gun and saw Caldwell shoot twice from his gun.

Another witness told police that there had been a previous altercation between Caldwell and Virghes in December, during which Caldwell allegedly shot Virghes in one of his hands.

Ezell said that Caldwell was not at the Shellfield Road residence when police arrived but that he did come to the EPD to be interviewed later.

Caldwell told police that Virghes had been “staring at him kind of funny,” prior to the shooting and had pulled up his shirt to show Caldwell his weapon.

Caldwell told police he shot Virghes twice after Virghes pulled his gun out, Ezell said. Caldwell told police that the person who had driven him to the party then drove him from the party. Ezell told the court that Caldwell declined to tell police where he went after the Shellfield Road party but that data analysis of Caldwell’s cellphone showed his location to be “within yards” of the Daleville Avenue Lounge.

Caldwell told police he threw the gun into the river near Elba, Ezell said, adding despite the efforts of law enforcement dive teams, the gun has not been recovered.

Caldwell’s attorney, Joe Cassady Jr., told Ezell that Virghes had a prior felony conviction and suggested that his client had pulled his weapon out of caution and self-defense during the altercation. “My question is pretty simple,” Cassady told Ezell. “If you knew that someone had been convicted wouldn’t you pull out your weapon?”

Ezell did not answer Cassady’s rhetorical question but told Cassady that although the police investigation continues, “I am satisfied that it was Ted Caldwell who committed the murder.”

Source: View SOUTHEASTSUN.com Article