Bennie and Faye Moore are seen here in a photo from 2013, when the couple celebrated their 50th anniversary. Image: The Blount Countian
BLOUNT COUNTY – Bennie and Faye Moore, who lived in northwest Blount County near the Cullman County line and the city of Hanceville, were shot and killed just before midnight Monday night. Their son, 41-year-old Heath Benson Moore, reportedly called 9-1-1 to report the shooting, and to tell authorities that it was he who had shot the victims. He was waiting in the driveway of the family home when sheriff's deputies arrived, and surrendered without incident.
Moore is being held in the Blount County Jail, and faces capital murder charges in the double murder.
The couple were longtime area residents. When they celebrated their 50th anniversary three years ago, The Blount Countian ran an article profiling them, noting that Faye Moore was a graduate of J.B. Pennington High School in Blountsville.
While the Moores lived in Blount County, much of their time was spent in Cullman County. Faye Moore was a former employee at the Wal-Mart Distribution Center in Cullman. Bennie Moore, after retiring from a career in long-haul trucking, took a job as a delivery driver for Office Equipment Company in Cullman. The couple attended Laodicea Free Will Baptist Church in Hanceville.
The Cullman Tribune spoke with the family's pastor and Bennie Moore's employer late Tuesday. Pastor Dennis Reeves of Laodicea Free Will Baptist Church says that he has known the couple for around 40 years, and has been their pastor in Hanceville for the last three or four years.
"They were faithful, faithful, godly people," Reeves stated. "They were always at church. If they were ever not there, you knew something's bad wrong."
Reeves shared that the couple were devout Christians with a deep concern for their church and family. "They prayed constantly for the church, for their family, and for Heath," who suffered from an unspecified condition simply referred to by Reeves as a "mental illness."
For the last seven-plus years of his life, Bennie Moore was a delivery driver for Office Equipment Company in Cullman. Business owner Ricky Kreps was deeply saddened by the loss of the popular, well-known and well-liked employee.
According to Kreps, "He was always up, always had a smile on his face. He was an all-around good Christian man." He continued, "Bennie was very much liked by all the customers. Good customer service was his number one goal. He was always happy, and never let anything get to him."
Said Kreps, "He will definitely be missed."
The incident occurred at 1455 County Highway 10 in Blount County. The Moores were shot while they were sleeping.
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