Carl Millard Patton Jr., freshly

accused in a quarter-century-old multiple murder case, had his first court

appearance in front of Fayette County State Court Judge Fletcher Sams

Tuesday morning.

But it might be the last time

Patton appears in a Fayette court for the 1977 murder of Liddie L. Evans.

Detectives have learned Evans and her boyfriend Joe Cleveland may have

been murdered at Patton's DeKalb residence on Ward Lake Road, so he may

face the murder charges there, said Maj. Bruce Jordan, director of investigations

for the Fayette County Sheriff's Department.

Jordan emphasized that he would

not drop the local charge against Patton until he is absolutely sure the

DeKalb authorities have a better case.

During the court hearing, Patton

told Judge Sams that he would need a court appointed attorney. Sams urged

Patton to fill out the paperwork at the jail to begin the process.

As Patton left the courtroom,

he ignored questions from the pack of reporters who followed him out of

the courthouse.

After the hearing, Jordan confirmed

that Patton was a childhood friend of Cleveland and the nephew of Fred

Wyatt, another murder victim who Patton may have killed.

Although the Fayette County

Grand Jury will convene next week, the case against Patton for malice

murder will not be brought before them to consider for a possible indictment,

Jordan said.

While Fayette could bring the

charge against Patton for the death of Evans, the law gives preference

to the jurisdiction where the deadly act occurred, Jordan noted.

After talking with DeKalb County

District Attorney J. Tom Morgan, Jordan said he expected to remain on

the case.

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