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Murder suspect pleads not guilty

Cousin died in stabbing at north Fayette home

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

A Fayette man accused of murdering his cousin in an altercation at a north Fayette residence in April has officially pled not guilty to the crime.

Tommy Ingram, 51, of 128 Homers Place, entered his not guilty plea, which was filed by his attorneys, Tom Cook and Michelle Lundy of Peachtree City.

Ingram is accused of felony murder for stabbing Terry Durham in the late evening hours April 2 at 133 Butler Rd. Ingram’s attorneys argue that he was merely defending himself from an attack by Durham, noting their client had self-defense marks on him when he was first interviewed by sheriff’s detectives.

Ingram was indicted on the felony murder charge in May by a Fayette County grand jury, which declined to indict him on a charge of malice murder.

Although Ingram told police he grabbed the knife during the struggle, another witness said he retrieved it from an organ bench after Durham briefly left the residence and he then laid in wait for Durham to return with the weapon in hand.

That witness, who also lived at the residence, said she did not see the stabbing occur, police said.

The preliminary autopsy from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation indicated that Durham died from a knife wound that penetrated his heart, police said.

The murder weapon, a knife, was found near a dumpster outside the house with assistance from Ingram, police said. Durham allegedly struck Ingram several times with a pipe before the confrontation turned deadly.