Hiram woman killed by tenant came from Aragon

A man who rented a room in a Hiram couple’s home was charged last week with murdering one of them and setting a fire to conceal the crime.

Derek Jess Renfroe, 32, was charged with murder, aggravated assault, arson and tampering with evidence in the death of Beth BishopHarris, said Sgt. Ashley Henson of the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office on Aug. 23.

Paulding County sheriff’s deputies found Bishop-Harris, 39, dead inside her residence at 4408 Hiram Sudie Road in Hiram on Tuesday, Aug. 22 about 5:49 a.m.

Investigators, including sheriff’s detectives and Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents, later determined she had been murdered, Henson said.

“Once they processed the crime scene, detectives and agents discovered that it appeared as if someone attempted to start a fire in the residence in order to conceal the way in which the victim was murdered,” Henson said.

The victim’s husband, Charles Harris, 36, had discovered the crime and called 911, Henson said.

The sheriff’s office then issued a public call for help to locate Renfroe, who was originally considered a “person of interest.”

Deputies located Renfroe after a motorist saw him walking along Mulberry Rock Road Wednesday morning. Renfroe then went to the sheriff’s office and spoke to investigators, who charged him with the murder, Henson said.

I nvestigators were awaiting autopsy results to determine the cause of death, Henson said.

The autopsy for Bishop- Harris is still underway, according to her mother Marilyn Whitley.

The family is awaiting the release of her body from the crime lab, she said.

Whitley said that her daughter, an Aragon native who attended Rockmart High School and moved from the area right before her marriage in her early 20s, was a “good girl.”

“She was a good kid, never got into any trouble and has three wonderful children,” she said.

Those children, Ariel, Charles and Haley who are all in their teens, live with Whitley who has custody of the children.

She said the family remains in shock about Bishop-Harris’s death.

“It still seems like this is all a dream, that it’s not real,” Whitley said.

She said the family is still working out plans for a memorial service once the crime lab returns her body.

Those with any additional information about this case are asked to call detectives and agents at 770-443-3015.

West Neighbor writer Tom Spigolon and Standard Journal Editor Kevin Myrick contributed to this report.