Suspect arrested in socialite murder

Additional arrests possible?

Oxonians were shocked by the arrest of a popular local pharmacist in the October 30 murder of socialite Kelly Moran.

Lorraine Estrada, 39, was taken into custody yesterday at the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department following an extended interview with the investigating detectives.

Yoknapatawpha County assistant district attorney Russell Moran discovered his wife's body when he returned home from work that Thursday evening in October. Initially, Kelly Moran was thought to have been the victim of a burglary gone wrong, but subsequent investigation cast doubt on that theory of the crime.

The case against Estrada includes both physical and testimonial evidence, according to Elizabeth Jones, information officer for the department. However, Jones declined to provide any details about what implicates Estrada in the death of her friend.

Jones also would not comment on Estrada's alleged motive but said investigators do believe they know what led to the killing.

DA's office "gratified"

At a brief press conference this morning announcing the arrest, assistant district attorney Calvin Dollarhide said, "This has been a difficult case not only for my colleague Russell Moran, who lost his beloved wife in such a brutal way, but for all of us in the Yoknapatawpha County law enforcement family. We are gratified that the sheriff's department has this cold-hearted killer in custody. Now the healing can begin for Kelly Moran's loved ones, friends and neighbors."

Dollarhide said Estrada will face charges for premeditated murder in the Moran killing and acknowledged that additional charges are possible.

Reached by phone, Russell Moran said he was thankful for the the support he's received from the community but declined to comment on the arrest.

Friends and acquaintances stunned

Pharmacist and murder suspect
Lorraine Estrada

Employees at the pharmacy where Estrada worked expressed surprise at her alleged involvement in a murder. "Lorraine is a wonderful, kind woman and an excellent pharmacist. She takes a personal interest in the well-being of all the pharmacy customers," said clerk Megan McDowell. "I can't believe she'd be involved in even hurting another person, much less killing someone."

By all accounts, Kelly Moran and her alleged killer, Lorraine Estrada, were close friends who socialized with each other regularly.

"They were here every week for karaoke," said a Rooster's Blues House employee who asked not to be named. "They were as thick as thieves, laughing and singing and having cocktails together week in and week out. I can't begin to guess what could've happened to make Lorraine do something like that."

"The sheriff's department usually does a good job, but this time I think they got it wrong," chimed in Rooster's patron Yvonne Boyd. "I saw Lorraine and Kelly here together all the time. There's no way Lorraine did what they say."

But not everyone believes in Estrada's innocence. "I know both of these women very well, and let me tell you something," said mutual friend Patricia Lee, "Lorraine's always been kind of a stick-in-the-mud, but Kelly was a rebel in her own way. I'm not at all surprised things finally came to a head between them."

"I am surprised that Lorraine's the one who came out on top though," Lee added. "Kelly must've made her really mad for that to happen."

Co-conspirators yet to be revealed?

A source close to the investigation told Crime Beat exclusively that detectives were also interrogating a second suspect at the same time as Estrada was being questioned before her arrest.

According to this source, it is possible that investigators are looking at one or more additional people who could have had some involvement in the murder of Kelly Moran.

When reached at the sheriff's department for comment, Jones said she would not comment on rumors but refused to confirm or deny the possibility of additional participants in the Moran murder.

A preliminary hearing for Lorraine Estrada is scheduled for November 25, 2019.

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Do you know this person?

Neighbor's security camera captures potential witness in socialite slaying

The Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department has released a video of what could be a witness in the Kelly Moran homicide investigation.

The video, captured by a private security camera on St. Andrews Circle the night Oxford socialite Kelly Moran was found dead, shows a person walking not far from the Moran residence near the time Kelly Moran is believe to have died.

If you have any information about the person in the video, you're asked to contact the sheriff's department at crimescene.com.

Neighborhood watch

The vigilant neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said he provided the video to the sheriff's department when he noticed it had been recorded the same night Mrs. Moran had died.

The neighbor lives adjacent to Lamar Park and said he had installed security cameras about 18 months ago after body parts were found in Lamar Park in 2017.

Those body parts were later connected to the murder of Oscar Knight, whose severed thumb had been found at the Rebel Inn prior to the discovery of the body parts in Lamar Park.

Two suspects were arrested in that case and are currently awaiting trial.

High society murder?

Kelly Moran died on October 30. Her husband, assistant district attorney Russell Moran, reportedly found her body when he arrived home from work and called 911.

An autopsy found that Mrs. Moran died from an opiate overdose. The sheriff's department confirmed that Moran had been taking prescribed opiate painkillers for several years prior to her death to treat chronic pain from a car accident.

However, the coroner's report listed the manner of death as undetermined, which implies that the medical examiner is not convinced the death resulted from an accidental or suicidal overdose.

According to a source inside the coroner's office, evidence observed at the scene and at autopsy indicate that Kelly Moran's likely death resulted from outside forces.

Sheriff's department mum

The sheriff's spokesperson, Elizabeth Jones, said the department is pursuing several avenues of investigation in the case but would not comment on whether they have any suspects.

"The detectives have several promising leads, including this security video. If anyone has any information, we ask they they get in touch with us."

Jones said persons coming forward with information may remain anonymous.

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Correcting mistakes

In this edition: stylist sorrow… rose-colored regrets… and a Halloween treat for grown-ups

Greetings, peeps!

The View from the Behind the Chair is the only place you'll hear the things women only tell their hairdressers.

In the first chair, a woman who deeply regrets going to one of the lesser salons makes up for her bad decision by letting slip that we can expect to see a glorious end-of-season sale at Talon Notch. Ladies, flex those ankles — it's nearly time to go shoe shopping!

In the second chair, someone recently interviewed by the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department wonders whether she painted a rosier picture of her late gal pal than appropriate. As I told her, just because you shouldn't speak ill of your hair stylist doesn't mean you shouldn't fill in the gaps when talking to law enforcement. We are, after all, only human, and sometimes our bad behavior should serve as a warning to others. (Did I mention the woman who went to another hairdresser?)

And in the third chair, the warm story of the Halloween angel. Apparently someone bringing their children around this past Halloween distributed splits of champagne to those handing out candy. (Only when the person was of legal drinking age, of course.) After learning where my client lived, I called a real estate agent and told her she had eleven months to find me a home in that neighborhood.


I'm just hearing, and I'm just saying.

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