NASHVILE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nearly 15 years after Joshua Lars Strickland's body was found in a truck that had been set on fire behind a vacant movie theater, investigators have arrested the man they say killed him.
48-year-old Landon "L.G." Gray was taken into custody last week after a grand jury indicted him on first-degree murder and felony murder charges. His arrest comes after renewed efforts from multiple agencies led to the discovery of new evidence.
In 2020, District Attorney General Ray Crouch formed a task force that brought together investigators from his office and Nashville D.A. Glenn Funk, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Dickson Police, and Metro Nashville Police.
In the early morning hours of September 10, 2010, a passerby reported seeing a fire behind the site of the former Regal Cinema in Bellevue (now the Royal Range USA). The building had been vacant for months following the historic May floods.
First responders found the truck engulfed in flames. After the fire was extinguished, they discovered Strickland's body inside. An autopsy determined the 25-year-old had been shot before the fire was set. Investigators believe he was killed in Dickson County and then moved to Nashville.
Police say that Strickland and Gray knew each other through their involvement in the rap music industry. No information regarding a possible motive has been released.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at hollie.west@newschannel5.com
Happy Birthday to the YMCA of Middle TN. They just celebrated their 150th anniversary! A lot has changed with the Y over the years. I have personally seen some of that firsthand when I was a long-time board member at the Northwest Family Y and part of their Black Achievers Program. Forrest Sanders has a look back.
- Lelan Statom
