A 24-year-old man has admitted to committing capital murder in the tragic incident where a Blount County father of six was fatally beaten with a baseball bat.
A plea of guilty was entered by Ryan Hunter Farr on Tuesday morning for the 2019 murder of 35-year-old Adam Beard. As a result, he has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
A man named Beard was reported missing in September 2019, and unfortunately, his decomposing body was discovered the following day. A tragic incident occurred in Blountsville, where a life was lost. The victim, Beard, was found deceased and concealed in a barrel behind a trailer. The details surrounding this unfortunate event are still under investigation.
In December, Sara Burgess Moore, aged 40, pleaded guilty to felony murder and received a 50-year prison sentence.
Haley Ragsdale, a 24-year-old, admitted to committing felony murder in July 2023 and has been given a prison sentence of 24 years.
There is no news yet on when the trial for Jesus “Jesse” Flores, 43, will take place.
“The arrival of this day has been eagerly anticipated by Mr. Beard’s family,” remarked Blount County District Attorney Pamela Casey. However, this situation is far from being resolved. We are still waiting for the trial of a co-defendant who has not taken responsibility for his involvement in this offense.
Prosecutors are pushing for the most severe punishment possible for Flores.
On September 2, 2019, Beard’s mother filed a report with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office regarding her missing son.
A decomposing body was found on September 3, 2019, wrapped in plastic and placed in a barrel behind a residence on Page Springs Road in Blountsville. He suffered injuries to his head and neck from blunt force.
According to Casey, the investigation revealed that Beard’s death was the result of a robbery, during which his personal belongings and blue scooter were taken.
On Tuesday, Blount County dispatchers received a distressing call from a woman who reported that her friend, Beard, had been tragically shot in the head. The caller claimed that Beard’s body had been concealed in a barrel, wrapped in carpet, and hidden behind a trailer located on Page Springs Road in Blountsville.
On that particular day, authorities visited the 1200 block of Page Springs Road. Upon arrival, they detected a strong smell and traced it to a barrel containing a deceased individual.
Investigators were able to secure a search warrant for the residence located at 1276 Page Springs Road.
Upon entering, they noticed what seemed to be blood spatter in various locations throughout the trailer.
In addition, a portion of the carpet in the bedroom had been taken out. There was a noticeable brownish-red stain where the carpet had been taken out.
Afterwards, Moore was interviewed by the sheriff’s detectives. After being read her rights, she proceeded to provide investigators with her account of the events.
According to reports, there was a disagreement between Moore and Beard regarding payment for a certain transaction. The nature of the transaction has not been specified.
Flores reported that Hunter struck Beard in the head with a bat, while Moore proceeded to enclose Beard in a shower curtain and restrain him as reported by AL News.
During Farr’s interview, he mentioned that Flores was responsible for Beard’s death, which occurred while both Farr and Moore were present.