By BRAD GASKINS / Staff Writer

An arrest was made last week in the February 1999 killing of a Bibb County woman.

Jody Byrd was arrested and charged May 27 will the Feb. 25, 1999 shooting death of his wife, Desta Dodson Byrd.

The case received significant media attention in the last several months, thanks mostly to a group of Desta Byrd’s friends who made an effort to put the case back in the spotlight. The group included Kathy Garner, a Helena woman who was a childhood friend of Desta Byrd.

“The members of Justice for Desta would like to thank everyone for the unwavering support that has been given to us over these past 12 years,” the group wrote in a press release announcing the arrest. “Our focus has been to bring attention to and investigate this murder, but we will now be redirecting our efforts to the successful prosecution of this case.”