Piedmont man sentenced to 105 years in six year old murder

A Calhoun County judge sentenced a Piedmont man to 105 years in prison in a six-year-old murder case Tuesday.

55 year old Jimmy Ray Steed, was sentenced Tuesday

morning by Circuit Judge Brian Howell.

Steed entered a guilty plea in December to murder charges in the 2009 disappearance and death of Carla Michelle Fuqua.

He also pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance and manufacturing methamphetamine. Steed received 75 years for Fuqua's death and 30 years for drug charges.

Sheriff Larry Amerson said he was pleased with the sentence, feeling "justice was served."

Steed was indicted in August 2013 in the death of Fuqua, who was last seen Oct. 29, 2009. Her remains were found on Dec. 4, 2012 in a wooded area south of Piedmont near Alabama 21 at the old Piedmont Brickyard.

Authorities said the last outgoing call made from Fuqua's cell phone that night was at 9:21 p.m. She was living on Piedmont Springs Road at the time of her disappearance, and told her roommate the night she vanished that was going to meet someone. A friend dropped her off at Steed's home, but Steed denied seeing her that night.

Fuqua's roommate was later charged with fraudulent use of a credit card after she used Carla's vehicle and debit card at several locations.

Amerson said investigators hope Steed's conviction will mean breaks in three long-running missing persons cases. Because Steed remains a suspect in them, prosecutors kept details of Fuqua's death "close to the vest,".

Calhoun County authorities have long suspected Steed in the disappearances of James Patrick Burrows, Jeffrey Scott McFry and Steed's wife, Karen Steed. All of them went missing within a geographic mile of Steed's home.