Crime Report Jan 24.

WVAS | By Melanie Hogan

Published January 24, 2025 at 8:48 AM EST

Double-Murder Suicide

The family members found dead in a burning home in Madison County earlier this month are reportedly the victims of a double-murder-suicide.

Authorities say Marie Celestine shot and killed Harold and Meliyah Celestine before turning the gun on herself. The scene unfolded on January 7th, and authorities confirmed their causes of death through autopsies. The family members were found inside their Monrovia home after the fire.

Suspect in Custody

The man who's accused of killing a retired Troy University professor is due to appear in court. A bond hearing is set for Friday, January 24th, for 55-year-old George Rice.

He's accused of striking 79-year-old Dr. Marcus Gaddis along Honeysuckle Road in Dothan and then fleeing the scene. Rice is in the Houston County Jail.

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Melanie Hogan

Melanie began her career as a work study student, working in the areas of news reporting, anchoring and news-gathering. After graduating from Alabama State University, she worked as a production assistant at the local NBC affiliate, WSFA-TV. As a News Director at WVAS-FM, Melanie leads her team to produce award- winning newscasts and talk shows. Her professional achievements includes News Reporter of the Year for a number of years and awards for talk show producer, by the Alabama Broadcasters Association and the Associated Press. She is an active member of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce. Her goals are to expand the reach of WVAS FM into more homes locally, regionally and nationally.

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