Inmate charged in woman’s strangulation death on New Year’s Eve

Michael Antonio Lay

Credit: Atlanta Police Department

Credit: Atlanta Police Department

Michael Antonio Lay

A Fulton County inmate has been charged in the strangulation death of an Atlanta woman, police said.

Michael Antonio Lay, 48, previously was said to have information that could help police solve the death of Julia McTur, 47, according to authorities.

But police got warrants Wednesday charging Lay with murder, Officer Stephanie Brown said in an emailed statement. He’s also charged with false imprisonment, according to jail records.

Lay was jailed on a probation violation charge Dec. 13, Brown said.

McTur’s body was found by her 9-year-old grandson on New Year’s Eve 2016, police said. She was in the living room of her residence in the 1000 block of Hollywood Road.

“(The grandson) was there but in another room when it occurred,” police Maj. Adam Lee told Channel 2 Action News. “He woke up to go to the bathroom and found his grandmother on the floor and he couldn't wake her up.”

The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office said the cause of death was strangulation.

Know what's really going on with crime and public safety in your metro Atlanta community, including breaking news, trial coverage, trends and the latest on unsolved cases. Sign up for the AJC's crime and safety newsletter delivered weekly to your inbox.

In other news: