Police Confident About Arrest in Ga. Sheriff's Slaying

Nov. 28 -- Georgia sheriff-elect Derwin Brown was killed just days before he was set to take office, vowing to clean up corruption in his department and fire dozens of people. Nearly a year later, police have not been able to make an arrest — but a trial that began today in another killing may lead to a break in the case.

Former DeKalb County sheriff's deputy — and self-described target of the Brown investigation — Patrick Cuffy was set to go on trial for murder with another co-defendant for a March 18 shootout that left a reputed drug dealer dead.

But just before jury selection began today, he pleaded guilty to lesser charges, leaving co-defendant Carl Hewitt to stand trial and lingering questions over whether this case would yield any clues about Brown's death.

Brown was shot 11 times in the driveway of his home last Dec. 15, three days before he was to be sworn in as the new sheriff of DeKalb County in Decatur, Ga.

Upon winning the elected post, Brown vowed to clean up his department, which had a long history of corruption, and indicated that he would fire dozens of employees at the DeKalb County Jail. Police said they had one witness, but the person was unable to decisively identify a gunman. Investigators still have not found a murder weapon, but they believe it was a 9 mm handgun, a weapon favored by many drug dealers.

Leads went nowhere until March 18, when a shootout broke out in front of Cuffy's home. During the gunfire, a reputed drug dealer named Jeffery "Nigel" George was beaten, dragged into his own car, shot to death, and dumped in park a few miles away.

Initially, Cuffy was not charged in George's slaying, but was accused of tampering with evidence when police believe he tried to hide a Tec-9 gun allegedly used in the shootout. (That weapon also has not been found.) But in September, he and three others — German Montez, and brothers Dania and Carl Hewitt — were charged with murder in George's slaying.

Police have not directly called Cuffy and his co-defendants suspects in Brown's killing — they still say they have evidence that the two incidents are linked. George's killing and a special grand jury impaneled since April to investigate Brown's slaying make police confident that they will make formal arrests in the sheriff-elect's case soon.