Murder suspect bound over to grand jury

A man accused of the murder of a homeless woman was bound over to the Bedford County grand jury Thursday following a preliminary hearing.

Donald Ray Sachs is charged with criminal homicide in the death of 52-year-old Joyce Mattis of Murfreesboro, whose decomposed remains were found June 4 in a wooded area off Cannon Road near Wartrace.

Last month, it was determined that Sachs is mentally competent to stand trial, according to court documents. A letter from Centerstone in Tullahoma stated that he had no mental disorders that would prevent his understanding of the charges he faces.

According to Sheriff Randall Boyce, Sachs is the same man who reported finding Mattis' body, with her death allegedly occurring in the same area where the body was found.

Mattis was reported missing from Murfreesboro on May 30 by her husband, Neil Mattis, 43.

Sachs is also facing rape and aggravated kidnapping charges in a separate case involving another woman from Murfreesboro in June. Those charges were filed on June 5, the day after Sachs claimed he found Mattis' body, Boyce said.

Sachs is currently being held on $1.15 million bond. Upon his arrest in connection with the murder, he waived his right to a bond hearing. He was already being held on $150,000 bond, Boyce said.

The next scheduled session of the Grand Jury will be Oct. 20.