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Two arrested in McClelland death
by Bill Hankins
The Paris News
Published September 25, 2008
Two men have been arrested and charged in the death of 24-year-old Brandon D. McClelland, whose body was found on a Lamar County road nine days ago.
Charles Ryan Crostley, 27, was arrested in Paris shortly after 8 p.m. Wednesday and remains in Lamar County Jail on charges of murder and of tampering with physical evidence with intent to impair the investigation of murder, preliminary charges that could change pending review of the case by the Lamar County and Distrit Attorney.
U.S. Marshals, Texas Rangers and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers are handling the investigation, and have determined McClelland’s death may have been intentional.
Lamar County District Attorney’s office is assisting in the investigation.
Early today, U.S. Marshals also arrested Shannon Keith Finley, 27, in Kansas, after a multi-state and multi-agency manhunt.
Findley is awaiting transfer back to Lamar County, and likely will face the same charges.
County and District Attorney Gary Young said his office will review the evidence obtained in the investigation before determining final charges in the case.
McClelland’s body was found on FM 2648 just before 4 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16.
First responders believed McClelland was the victim of a hit-run accident, but after interviews with people who saw McClelland earlier, it was determined he was in the company of Crostley and Finley.
Claims McClelland’s death was a race crime surfaced last week on the Internet, by e-mail and from friends and relatives of McClelland.
“This has been examined from day one last week as a vitally important case, and it has been given full attention by the right law enforcement officers,” Young said earlier this week. “There is no indication at this time that this is a racially motivated crime, but rest assured, it will be dealt with accordingly if that becomes an issue.”
Both Crostley and Finley have lengthy criminal histories, but Finley has served time in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice on a manslaughter conviction.
He was sentenced July 6, 2004, to four years in prison by 62nd District Judge Scott McDowell, in the alleged accidental shooting of a friend, Mark Sneed.
Finley told investigators the two were being robbed and he fired shots at the fleeing robbers and accidentally hit his friend.
He was released in August of 2007 after serving his sentence.
Crostley was sentenced in a plea bargain involving theft of property, more than $1,500 but less than $20,000, a state felony.
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