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Wednesday, July 26, 2023

Zanesville man faces life sentence for murder of Timothy Norris

A Zanesville man charged in the shooting death of Timothy Norris pleaded guilty to aggravated murder with a firearm specification on Wednesday morning.

That charge guarantees that 34-year-old Cody Moody will be sentenced to life in prison at a later date.

Just after midnight on June 22, a man called 911 after hearing gunshots near his camper on Culbertson Road.

When deputies responded, no shots could be heard.

Two hours later, the same man called once more after thinking he heard a gunshot from outside his bedroom window.

Deputies again responded to 2295 Culbertson Road where they found the caller’s roommate, Timothy Norris, dead inside the kitchen area of the camper.

Outside, an additional four bullet holes were discovered in the side of a shed.

No suspect was found at that time.

Detectives identified several persons of interest as they investigated the case, but the true suspect was identified using advanced cellular and Geo-Fence technologies. Detective Sergeant Brady Hittle analyzed that information and traced Cody Moody to that area at the time of the murder.

Researching Moody’s Facebook, Det. Sgt. Hittle learned the defendant was in a relationship with Carlos “Ricky” Rivera, uncle of the deceased Jordan Rivera.

Jordan Rivera was at the center of a death investigation one year ago when his body was found in the shed located on the same Culbertson Road property.

Timothy Norris was convicted of failure to report a death on March 27, 2023 and sentenced to 30 days in jail.

“It is known that the Rivera family was not happy with this outcome. Specifically, Carlos Rivera’s Facebook page has several postings about Jordan Rivera and wanting justice,” Prosecutor Ron Welch said in court.

One post includes photos of four individuals, including the victim. One post reads “You know what you did to Jordan Michael Rivera. Don’t think we are going to forget my little nephew. #JusticeForJordan. Another reads “Time is up for you 4. Get ready to ride out.”

On July 10, officers located Moody and interviewed him. At first, Moody denied having any involvement in murdering Norris. He denied owning or possessing a firearm, even when presented with a M&M Pawn Shop receipt where Moody purchased a Highpoint 9mm in 2014. Eventually, Moody confessed to killing Norris.

“He had detailed information that only the killer would know,” detectives noted.

Moody admitted that he intended to kill Norris, his roommate and anyone else that he suspected had responsibility in the death of his boyfriend’s nephew.

The defendant admitted to using his phone to search for Norris’ address and using his maps app to locate the camper.

Moody told Det. Sgt. Hittle that he drove his SUV to the property around 11:40 p.m. where he found Norris inside the shed and shot at him.

He heard Norris yell “what the hell,” and knew he was still alive.

Moody left and returned to his boyfriend’s home where he switched the SUV for his truck and drove back to Culbertson road around 2:20 a.m.

A BMV search of the vehicles owned by Moody and vehicles seen on surveillance video in the neighborhood matched.

Video from a neighbor showed a dark color SUV in the area around 11:50 p.m. and then a dark color truck in the area around 2:20 a.m.

Using a different gun, Moody walked up to the window of the camper and shot Norris in the head, killing him.

Moody threw both his guns in the Muskingum River after fleeing the scene.

“The resolution of this case in just over a month is a credit to the quality of our local criminal justice system,” Prosecutor Ron Welch said. “The Muskingum County Sheriff’s Office conducted an excellent investigation. The investigation consisted of numerous interviews, obtaining and reviewing technological evidence and obtaining a confession from the defendant. This investigation allowed our office to quickly bring an end to this case so all affected parties can begin to move forward as best they can.”

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