Man charged with murder after death of 81-year-old Sylacauga man

TALLADEGA COUNTY, Ala. (WBRC) - A man who has been in custody for the assault of an 81-year-old Sylacauga man has now been charged with murder.

On January 13, 2023, Christopher Adam Grantham was served with an arrest warrant on murder charges in the death of 81-year-old Douglas Jude.

The charges come after an incident police say happened on November 22, 2022. That’s when patrol officers responded to a motor vehicle accident on West 4th Street. That’s when police found Jude in that vehicle suffering from what they called an ‘extensive amount of trauma’.

Police say the minor accident happened when Jude was attempting to drive himself to an area hospital for help.

That’s when Jude told police Grantham came to his house after leaving Coosa Valley Medical Center Emergency Department and assaulted him while he was sleeping.

Police say Grantham left the home in Jude’s 2010 Honda Accord and also took his phone, according to police.

Jude was taken to Coosa Valley Medical Center and was later taken to UAB due to his injuries being so severe. Police say Jude stayed in the ICU at UAB until his death several days later.

Police say Grantham was stopped in Lynn Haven, Florida, near Panama City, in the victim’s vehicle. He was held in the Bay County Jail until his extradition on December 7, 2022 back to Talladega County.

At that time, Grantham was charged with first degree theft of property and first degree assault.

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