Man Arrested in Double Murder Cold Case from 1984

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Detectives have charged a man in a nearly 40-year-old double murder cold case.

James Thomas Pratt, 60, was arrested and charged in the murders of 27-year Sarah Mobley Hall and her 10-year-old son, Derrick Mobley.

Sarah Mobley Hall and her son were found dead in their home on March 14, 1984. When detectives arrived to the home on Ventura Way, they found the front door open and a foul smell coming from inside. Police say, Hall and her son had been assaulted and strangled to death.

During a press conference on Thursday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Captain Joel McNeely said familial DNA technology helped match Pratt to the case. He was taken into custody at a hotel in York County on February 1.

James Pratt has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and is currently behind bars in the Mecklenburg County jail.