1996 COLD CASE | WHO KILLED TODD JOWERS?

Joeseph Todd  Jowers was a handyman who loved entertaining others with singing and teaching line dancing. He was shot to death outside Classics Lounge in Tuscaloosa in October of 1996.

Although dozens of investigators have worked on the case over the past two decades, there are still so many unanswered questions. At the top of that list: Who killed Todd Jowers?

The scene of the killing has changed some over the years but something that hasn’t changed is the status of Todd Jowers murder case.
“What we do know is Todd was leaving the bar with two other people,”Tuscaloosa Metro Homicide Captain Kip Hart told WVUA 23. “They said they heard a loud pop and one of them actually saw someone run though the woods,” Hart added.

Why would someone want to kill the 32-year-old?

“Earlier that night, he had words or an altercation with some guys inside,” Hart said. “From what we understand he may have had a sum of cash on him.”

Captain Hart also told us why cases this old are so challenging to solve.

“You start having witnesses move, die, and people’s memories fade,” he said.

But time can also be on their side.

“The killer becomes more complacent and they begin to think they got a way with it,” Hart told WVUA.  “People change over time. A person could have been a rowdy trouble maker back then and has since mellowed out and this message could get to them and they’ll realize they need to do the right thing and come forward with the information they have on this case.”

Todd Jowers’ mother Norma Jowers and his grandmother Sybil Malone both passed passed away not knowing who took Todd’s life.

“If anybody knows anything that can help us in anyway we would sure be thankful if we could find the person who did this,” Malone told WVUA back in 2001.

Almost 21 years later, investigators are still trying to make sure justice is served.

“The hardest thing about being an investigator is helping families find closure when something bad happens,” Hart said. “It would be nice if at least for the rest of the family for them and Todd.. That’s who we are working for is Todd.”

Hart told our crew, he believes they could be very close to making an arrest in this case.

If you have any information that could help police solve this case, call CrimeStoppers at (205) 752-STOP