Michigan inmate arrested in 1985 murder of Jacksonville teen Leslie McCray

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office said Thursday an arrest has been made in the 1985 murder of Leslie McCray.

JSO Chief TK Waters said a DNA profile matched the suspect, David Nelson Austin, who was in a Michigan prison for three sexual batteries.

At the time Leslie was killed Dec. 24, 1985, she lived in an apartment on St. Johns Avenue. She and her boyfriend were tied up and she was taken against her will out of the apartment.

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The 17-year-old’s body was found on the side of the road off of Old Middleburg Road and Wiley, not far from I-295 on Jacksonville’s Westside.

Her body had been mutilated by stab wounds to her neck.

In 1986, the case was suspended after evidence was collected. In 2019, Leslie’s family reached out to JSO’s Cold Case Unit and Project: Cold Case to request a re-examination of evidence.

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At that time, Leslie’s family spoke to Action News Jax to generate awareness for solving the case.

In April 2020, Waters said an investigative lead was developed and the DNA profile was found to match Austin’s.

After that, a detective went to Michigan and collected more DNA to confirm the match.

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In May 2021, a warrant was issued for second-degree murder and kidnapping. On Thursday afternoon, a Duval County grand jury indicted Austin for first degree murder, two counts of kidnapping and one count of armed sexual battery.

Waters said Austin was not a suspect in the killing of Leslie previously. He lived in Jacksonville, stayed here for a short period of time and then left the state.

Assistant State Attorney Lauren Anderson credited not only JSO with its work on the case, but also the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Michigan Department of Corrections. She said a 2017 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice also helped provide funds that helped solve this case.

Anderson said now authorities can proceed with extraditing Austin from Michigan. According to MDOC records, Austin, now age 59, is currently serving two life sentences for criminal sexual conduct in the first degree (personal injury) at the G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility in Jackson, Mich. The date of those offenses is listed as Sept. 10, 1988 and he was sentenced on July 22, 1991.

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