LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Gwinnett County police have made an arrest in the five-year-old cold case homicide of Ray Neal, whose murder had remained unsolved since 2019. Carmen Hunt, 50, was charged with felony murder and aggravated assault after new evidence and an informant’s tip pointed to her as the suspect.
Hunt, who was already incarcerated in Gwinnett County Jail for a 2022 stabbing, was connected to Neal’s death through a family member’s tip. The relative reached out to the cold case unit in early 2024, suggesting that Hunt was involved in the murder. Following the tip, detectives reexamined evidence and conducted additional interviews, leading to Hunt’s arrest.
Neal, 61, was found dead in his bedroom on July 20, 2019, after his sister went to check on him when he stopped answering calls. Initially, the cause of death was believed to be natural, but a further investigation revealed that Neal had been stabbed. Blood was found on the bed, bathroom walls, and shower curtain, raising suspicion of foul play. A butcher’s knife, which was discovered under Neal’s bed by his niece, Ashli Haynes, soon after the death, became key evidence in the case.
The breakthrough in the investigation came when detectives matched Hunt’s fingerprints to those found at the crime scene, including one in Neal’s blood. “I’m confident we will get a conviction when she has her day in court,” said Sgt. Micah Hegwood, who leads the cold case unit.
Though this arrest brings some closure to Neal’s family, there are still more than 180 unsolved cold cases in Gwinnett County, highlighting the ongoing work of the department’s cold case unit.
