Fort Oglethorpe authorities have in custody a man they say brutally killed another in October.

For months, investigators have been trying to solve the murder of 51-year-old Kenneth Miller, whose badly beaten body was found in his home at 13 Walker Avenue off Van Cleve Street in Fort Oglethorpe by a friend Oct. 28 about 3 p.m.

They are are now charging Michael Steven Cooper, 43, with Miller's death. Fort Oglethorpe authorities weren't at first able to locate Cooper and appealled for help, but late Tuesday afternoon, Cooper turned himself in.

An initial autopsy Oct. 29 at the state crime lab in Decatur, Ga., confirmed Miller died from several blows to the skull and facial area from an unknown object. Crime lab workers were unable to determine what type of weapon was used in the killing from the autopsy.

Fort Oglethorpe Police detective Dave Scroggins said in October that Miller abused both prescription and illegal drugs and frequented several Rossville Boulevard bars. He said the victim would often bring home strangers he met at bars and night clubs, and detectives are looking into possible links between the murder and some of Miller’s acquaintances.

During the investigation, they arrested several people with warrants, leading to the seizure of a meth lab in East Ridge.

Miller had placed numerous phone calls to the Fort Oglethorpe Police Department over the past two years, claiming he had been robbed by friends who were visiting his home. Lt. Steve Blevins, who was police chief at the time, said many of the calls were bogus, with Miller alleging merchandise was stolen from his home that he still had in his possession.

The city’s previous murder occurred in July 2001, when Mark Wayne Graham shot and killed his wife, Jovita, during a domestic dispute.

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