Memorials for Victims

Criminal Details

Montgomery Advertiser
By Kirsten Fiscus - December 5, 2019

Aniah Blanchard fought back and 'went for the gun,' according to court records

Aniah Blanchard "went for the gun" before she was shot, according to affidavits charging Ibraheem Yazee with two counts of capital murder, one in connection to the teen's kidnapping and another in connection to shooting her inside her car.

The court records were filed Wednesday.

According to an arrest affidavit, Yazeed was captured on video surveillance in the convenience store at the same time Blanchard was. A witness then observed Yazeed interacting with Blanchard near her vehicle in front of the convenience store, according to court records.

Another gas station's surveillance then captured Yazeed exiting the passenger side of Blanchard's vehicle and later re-entering the vehicle. Her car was last seen travelling south on South College Street towards the interstate, according to court records.

Ibraheem Yazeed seen with Aniah Blanchard's car after she went missing, records say

A person was located by police who said "Yazeed was seen at a residence in Montgomery wearing only shorts, with a gun tucked into the shorts," according to the affidavit. The court records did not identify this person.

Yazeed was in possession of Blanchard's vehicle, though the person did not see the teen, according to the court records.

"The subject further advised during a subsequent conversation with Yazeed, Yazeed admitted to shooting a girl, and stated the girl 'went for the gun,'" according to the documents.

Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes said Monday that Yazeed, 29, would face a capital murder charge and also the death penalty in the disappearance and murder of 19-year-old Aniah Blanchard.

Death penalty:Ibraheem Yazeed allegedly shot Aniah Blanchard, will face the death penalty, DA says

Aniah Blanchard timeline:What we know about the disappearance, search for Alabama teen

"The process of seeing justice done for Aniah and her family will not be swift, but I can promise it will be thorough," he said during a news conference.

Blood found in Aniah Blanchard's car after she went missing

Blanchard, a student at Southern Union State Community College, was last seen on video surveillance footage at a convenience store on Oct. 23. The next day her family reported her missing.

Her car was recovered at a Montgomery apartment complex, 55 miles west of her last known location, a few days later, and contained evidence of "a life-threatening amount of blood."

Her family:Aniah Blanchard's family still hears the voice and laughter of their 'baby girl'

Dr. Phil interview:5 takeaways from Aniah Blanchard’s parents ‘Dr. Phil’ interview. 'We're going to get you. I promise.'

A little more than a month after Blanchard was seen last, law enforcement found human remains. Those remains were later identified as Blanchard's.

Three charged in Aniah Blanchard's disappearance

At the Monday press conference, Hughes said at that an autopsy revealed Blanchard had been shot to death.

Antwain "Squirmy" Fisher, 35, was charged with first-degree kidnapping for aiding Yazeed by giving him a ride and disposing of evidence, according to court records. Hours after Fisher appeared in court for the first time, Blanchard's remains were discovered and 63-year-old David Lee Johnson Jr. was charged with hindering prosecution in connection to the case.

Yazeed, however, was the sole person responsible for Blanchard's abduction and death, Hughes said.

At the time of Blanchard's kidnapping, Yazeed was free on a $295,000 bond on charges of kidnapping, attempted murder, robbery and possession of marijuana in connection with the beating of two men in a Montgomery hotel in January. He'll appear in court Thursday in Montgomery to face a bond revocation hearing on the January charges.

More:Aniah Blanchard missing: What to know about Ibraheem Yazeed charges, Florida court case

More:Suspect in Aniah Blanchard case lied about his son's involvement with another suspect, documents say

Fisher pleaded guilty to felony murder in 2007 and served three years in prison with 17 years suspended.

A Lee County Judge last month ordered Yazeed held without bond and also ordered him to submit to a DNA test, to compare against a sample found in Blanchard's car. Fisher is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing on Dec. 18.

A gag order has been imposed on attorneys, prosecutors and witnesses in the case. Alabama media organizations, including the Montgomery Advertiser, are challenging the order. A hearing is set for Wednesday.

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Kirsten Fiscus at 334-318-1798 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @KDFiscus

Aniah Blanchard fought back and 'went for the gun,' according to court records Ibraheem Yazeed allegedly shot Aniah Blanchard, will face the death penalty, DA says

Suspect in Aniah Blanchard case lied about his son's involvement with another suspect, documents say

Source: View USAToday.com Article

Criminal Details

ABC3340.com
By Sarah Snyder - October 23rd 2019

Timeline of Kamille McKinney's Disappearance

The timeline of this Amber Alert showcases the tireless work by officers and the heartbreak felt across Alabama.

8:30 Saturday night October 12th -- Kamille McKinney was reported missing from the Tom Brown Village housing community. The next day the FBI joined the investigation as officers swarmed the area where she was last seen.

Monday October 14th - authorities searched the Parkway Villa Apartment complex in Center Point and took 2 of the persons of interest into custody. Patrick Stallworth - with child pornography charges who bonded out, and Derick Irisha Brown was taken in on a probation revocation with no bond for an unrelated kidnapping. Both of their attorneys deny any involvement from their clients.

10 miles away - at the opposite end of town - a new tip leads to a massive search. A tipster reports to police they saw the child at the apartments on Jefferson Avenue Wednesday October 16th. Authorities combed unit by unit to try to find her-- even searching via helicopter. People across the community - friends and family gathered outside - waiting and hoping she would be found alive, but the search turned up empty.

Friday, October 18th, our first glimpse of Kamille on the night she disappeared. Police release surveillance footage - showing Kamille and another child playing at Tom Brown Village. You see two men approach the children. So far, police have not confirmed their identities.

Over the weekend, one week later, her community prays, places bows around Birmingham, and puts out signs up in hopes someone would see her.

Then Tuesday night October 22nd - the news no one wanted. The announcement Kamille's remains were found tossed in a dumpster--- sent out to the landfill. Those original two persons of interest --- are now the prime suspects in her death.

Source: View ABC3340.com Article

Criminal Details

KIRO7.com
By Crystal Bonvillian - December 17, 2019

3-year-old ‘Cupcake’ McKinney fought for life after kidnapping, sex assault: testimony

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — When Kamille “Cupcake” McKinney’s remains were found in a dumpster at an Alabama landfill Oct. 22, the DNA of the man accused of killing the 3-year-old was found under her fingernails, according to court testimony last week.

That man, Patrick Devone Stallworth, had scratches on his chest while in police custody in the days following the toddler’s Oct. 12 abduction from outside a birthday party at Birmingham’s Tom Brown Village public housing complex, investigators said.

Cupcake’s DNA, along with that of Stallworth and his girlfriend, Derick Iresha Brown, was found on a bloodstained plastic cover taken from a mattress in the couple’s home at the Woodside Condominiums in Center Point, AL.com reported.

Those details, and many more, were revealed Friday as Brown, 29, appeared in court for a preliminary hearing in Cupcake’s kidnapping and suffocation death, which left the Birmingham community on edge for more than a week as local, state and federal law enforcement officials scoured the city for the girl.

The community also mourned en masse with the toddler’s family when her body was found.

Like Stallworth, 39, Brown is charged with capital murder in Cupcake’s death, among other charges.

Stallworth is charged with multiple counts of possession of child pornography and possession with the intent to disseminate child pornography. The images, found on his cellphone during the search for Cupcake, were not of the missing girl, AL.com reported.

Stallworth was initially allowed to post bail on the child porn charges but was rearrested when Cupcake’s body was found.

Brown is additionally charged with felony attempting to elude officers and second-degree assault, Jefferson County Jail records show. Those charges stem from a July 2018 incident in which police allege Brown kidnapped her own three children at gunpoint after they were taken from her custody and placed with a relative.

AL.com reported that Brown was under investigation on suspicion of abuse after she was accused of placing the children inside a clothes dryer as punishment.

Both Brown and Stallworth face the possibility of the death penalty if convicted of capital murder in Cupcake’s slaying.

Patrick Stallworth, 39, and his girlfriend, 29-year-old Derick Brown, are charged with capital murder in the Oct. 12, 2019, abduction and killing of 3-year-old Kamille “Cupcake” McKinney in Birmingham, Ala.(Birmingham Police Department via AP)

Editor’s note: The following details of Kamille McKinney’s death are graphic and may be difficult for some readers.

WBRC in Birmingham reported that a Birmingham police detective testified at Brown’s hearing that after repeatedly denying involvement in Cupcake’s disappearance, Brown eventually told investigators she and Stallworth were at their home at the Woodside Condominiums in Center Point the night of Oct. 12 when she went outside to smoke, then took a pill and fell asleep.

When she awoke, Brown alleged she found Stallworth sexually abusing the toddler. According to AL.com, Brown said Stallworth forced Cupcake to perform oral sex on him.

It was eventually Brown who told authorities where the girl’s remains could be found.

The news site offered a detailed outline of the testimony at Brown’s court hearing, as well as details from Stallworth’s preliminary hearing earlier in the week. AL.com reported that the combined testimony indicates the pair have each claimed innocence and blamed one another for Cupcake’s death.

A brazen abduction

The toddler was playing outside with another child around 7:25 p.m. Oct. 12 when footage from a nearby security camera recorded a man approach the children. He appeared to speak to them for a moment before walking off down the street, the children following along behind him.

That was the last moment Cupcake was seen alive.

Footage from a security camera in the Tom Brown Village public housing complex in Birmingham, Ala., shows a man approaching Kamille "Cupcake" McKinney, 3, and another child the night of Oct. 12, 2019. Cupcake, who was abducted moments later, was found 10 days later in a dumpster at a local landfill.

Footage from a security camera in the Tom Brown Village public housing complex in Birmingham, Ala., shows a man approaching Kamille "Cupcake" McKinney, 3, and another child the night of Oct. 12, 2019. Cupcake, who was abducted moments later, was found 10 days later in a dumpster at a local landfill. (Birmingham Police Department)

The video was recovered from a surveillance camera within the Tom Brown Housing complex at about the same time as Kamille Mckinney was reported missing. If you are one of the people in the video, we need your help with the investigation! Please call at 205-254-7777.

Stallworth and Brown were taken into custody in connection with the girl’s disappearance the following day after police released images of a person of interest, as well as photos of a blue Toyota Sequoia, taken from a nearby Shell gas station and convenience store.

Authorities said tipsters who saw the images identified the man in the photos as Stallworth.

An SUV matching the one in the photos was seized from the parking lot of the couple’s condominium complex, according to police. It belongs to Brown, AL.com reported.

In chilling testimony at Stallworth’s Dec. 10 preliminary hearing, Birmingham police Detective Jonathan Ross told the court that surveillance footage from the Shell gas station showed Stallworth buy $18.91 worth of candy more than seven hours before Cupcake’s abduction.

Five minutes later, two preteen girls were leaving their Saturday cheerleading practice at Haynes K-8 School when they were approached by the blue Sequoia.

“I’m looking for a girl that looks like you,” a man later identified by police as Stallworth told one girl.

The girl is 11 years old, AL.com reported.

Stallworth offered the girls candy, but they grew nervous, Ross testified. The second girl said, “Let’s go,” and they walked away.

The detective testified that security footage from the school backs up the girls’ statements, though the camera was not close enough for police to identify the occupants of the SUV.

The girls’ description of the woman with Stallworth matches that of Brown.

Children at Tom Brown Village later told investigators that a man in an SUV was handing out candy around the housing development that evening. At least one child witnessed Cupcake’s abduction.

“She was crying,” a 10-year-old boy told police, according to Ross.

It was the statements from the young cheerleaders that led investigators to canvass the neighborhood around Tom Brown Village, leading them to find footage at the Shell of Stallworth and the blue SUV the children described, the detective said.

Footage from a Chevron gas station the night of Cupcake’s abduction indicated that at some point after the couple went home with the toddler, Stallworth went back out and bought an energy drink and a pill for “sexual dysfunction,” Ross said Dec. 10, according to AL.com.

Ross testified Friday that Brown, who was interviewed by investigators three times, at first denied any knowledge of Cupcake’s abduction or death, the news site reported. Following her Oct. 13 arrest, Brown remained jailed in connection with the kidnapping allegations from 2018.

According to Ross, Brown said that despite being with Stallworth at Tom Brown Village on Oct. 12, she did not know he had taken the toddler until they stopped at a convenience store. It was not clear Friday how Brown said she learned the girl was in her SUV.

Surveillance footage from the Jet Pep where the couple stopped showed a seemingly unfazed Brown go inside to pay for gas and buy a soda, the detective said.

“She seemed fine to me,” Ross testified about the footage, AL.com reported. “She’s walking fine. Seemed normal.”

Brown told detectives she and Stallworth went home after the stop at the store. It is at that point that her story diverges from the one given to police by Stallworth.

‘That’s not your child’

ABC 33/40 in Birmingham reported that testimony from Stallworth’s Dec. 10 hearing indicated he told police he was not aware of Cupcake’s presence until he walked into his and Brown’s condo that night and saw Brown sitting on the sofa with the girl.

“That’s not your child,” Stallworth said he told her.

“I want to keep her,” Brown replied, according to Stallworth.

Stallworth told police Brown suggested he “do something sexual to the child,” Ross testified, AL.com reported. Stallworth said he refused and went outside to smoke a cigarette.

Later, “Brown put her hands over Cupcake’s nose and mouth,” Stallworth told investigators. He said the girl was then “asleep,” according to the news site.

Ross testified that Stallworth told him Brown gave the girl a bath at some point after removing her clothes and hair bows. He told the detective when he awoke the next morning, Brown was with him in bed.

It was unclear where Cupcake was at that point in Stallworth’s story.

Brown told police, however, that she was the one who went outside to smoke when they got home the night of the abduction, AL.com reported. She said she went back inside and into the bathroom, where she found Stallworth.

She alleged that she saw a “shadow” pass by the door and “thought she was tripping,” Ross testified.

Brown told investigators she had used trazadone, a sedative, that day, as well as methamphetamine.

According to authorities, an autopsy showed toxic levels of both drugs present in Cupcake’s body. Ross testified that the trazadone prescription from which the drugs allegedly came was Stallworth’s.

AL.com reported that Brown told investigators she went to bed and fell asleep but awoke at some point during the night to find Cupcake sitting on the sofa. She said Stallworth was kneeling in front of the girl, forcing her to perform oral sex.

Ross became emotional as he testified about the sexual abuse, ABC 33/40 reported. The judge gave the veteran detective a few moments to compose himself, and time for anyone in the courtroom who wished to leave to do so.

Cupcake’s parents were in the courtroom for the duration of the hearing, the news station reported.

Brown told detectives she went back to sleep and awoke the following day. When she asked about Cupcake, Stallworth told her, “You have been tripping,” she told detectives.

Stallworth left the condo with a trash bag after asking her about their canister of lighter fluid, Brown told investigators. She said she told him they’d left it behind at their previous apartment.

“Her boyfriend put the baby in a trash bin with old furniture,” Ross testified.

Brown said Cupcake was disposed of in a dumpster at an adjacent apartment complex, AL.com said.

Stallworth’s defense team argued at his hearing that DNA swabs of the girl’s body found no signs of sexual assault. According to AL.com, prosecutors countered that the condition of her remains at the time of her autopsy made it hard to determine what, if any, sexual abuse had taken place.

An Amber Alert

Ross also testified Friday about evidence gathered beyond the suspects’ statements to police. Cellphone records for Stallworth’s phone showed a flurry of seven calls to his mother after 10:39 p.m., when an Amber Alert was issued for Cupcake, the news site reported.

The records also showed “a lot of movement” between the couple’s condo and the adjacent Parkway Villa apartments, which are accessible to one another via a pathway through a wooded area.

It was a construction dumpster from the largely vacant Parkway Villa in which Cupcake’s remains were found by FBI agents Oct. 22.

In addition to the cellphone evidence, Ross testified last week about two inmates in the Jefferson County Jail who have come forward claiming that Stallworth admitted he accidentally killed Cupcake, AL.com reported.

According to the news site, Brown’s public defender argued Friday that his client was innocent of the capital murder charge. He argued that the allegations against Brown aligned better with the lesser charge of felony murder.

“We’re not here to talk about whether Ms. Brown is a good person,” said her attorney, Adam Danneman, according to AL.com. “That would be a very short conversation.”

Jefferson County Circuit Judge Clyde Jones disagreed.

“It’s clear to me one or both of them sexually abused this child,” then killed her, Jones told the attorney. “This woman (Brown) did not come forward. She could have easily went to law enforcement.”

Jones said the evidence indicated Brown was “acting in concert” with Stallworth and said there was plenty to warrant the case being sent to a grand jury.

Stallworth’s case was also forwarded to the grand jury. He and Brown remain in the Jefferson County Jail, where they are being held without bail.

Source: View KIRO7.com Article

Criminal Details

DothanEagle.com
From staff reports - May 25, 2019 Updated May 26, 2019

Two wounded in Florida Avenue shooting

Police are investigating an early Saturday afternoon shooting that left two people wounded in northeast Dothan.

Lt. Rachel David said officers responded to a report of shots fired in the 400 block of Florida Avenue.

Upon arrival they located a male and a female with gunshot wounds. The two were taken to Southeast Health.

David said investigators were gathering information at the scene. Anyone with information on the shooting should contact the police department.

The 1:55 p.m. call came across as a firearm assault with moderate injuries.

David said they had several witness reports that there were several people running from the area, but it wasn’t clear whether they were running from the situation or running as a part of the situation.

Source: View DothanEagle.com Article

Criminal Details

WSFA.COM
WSFA Staff | May 26, 2019 at 4:17 PM CDT - Updated May 26 at 4:17 PM

2 arrested in Dothan shooting turned homicide

DOTHAN, Ala. (WSFA) - Two suspects have been charged with murder after a shooting in Dothan Saturday turned into a homicide.

According to the Dothan Police Department, officers responded to the 400 block of Florida Avenue where they found two people who had been shot. The victims were taken to a local medical facility for treatment, where one of them died from injuries sustained. The other is in critical condition.

Dothan Police have arrested two suspects and charged them with murder, but police advise the investigation into the shooting is still ongoing. Police ask that anyone with information call 334-615-3000.

Copyright 2019 WSFA 12 News. All rights reserved.

Source: View WSFA.COM Article

Criminal Details

DothanEagle.com
From staff reports May 26, 2019 Updated May 26, 2019

Two charged with murder in firearm assault on Florida Avenue

Two suspects have been arrested and charged with murder in connection to a firearm assault that left one person dead and another in critical condition.

Dothan Police responded about 1:55 p.m. Saturday to a report of shots fired in the 400 block of Florida Avenue. Two people – a male and a female – suffered gunshot wounds and were in critical condition.

Houston County Coroner Robert Byrd said Shawn Callins, 35, of Dothan, died about 3:30 p.m. Saturday in the emergency room at Southeast Health. The other victim was listed in critical condition on Sunday.

Chief Steve Parrish will hold a news conference at 10 a.m. Monday at the police department to answer questions regarding the shooting.

The investigation is still ongoing. Anyone with information about the crime is urged to contact the Dothan Police Department at 334-615-3000 or CrimeStoppers at 334-793-7000.

Source: View DothanEagle.com Article

Criminal Details

WSFA.com
WSFA Staff | May 27, 2019 at 12:02 PM CDT - Updated May 27 at 9:04 PM

1 man dead, pregnant woman injured in Dothan shooting

DOTHAN, Ala. (WSFA) - We’re learning more details surrounding a Dothan shooting that left one person dead and a pregnant woman critically injured.

Dothan police say two 18-year-olds have been charged in the shooting and robbery that took place Saturday. Willie Gerome Blackmon and Kaleb Tyreak Tubbs are each charged with capital murder and attempted murder.

Police say officers responded to the 400 block of Florida Avenue where they found two people who had been shot multiple times. The victims have been identified as Shawn Bernard Callins and Kenisha Lashea Lee.

Callins was transported to a local hospital but later succumbed to his injuries. Lee, who was six and a half months pregnant, was airlifted to a Florida Hospital for treatment. The baby was removed through an emergency c-section. Lee and the infant remain in critical condition, police say.

An investigation into the shooting revealed the suspects forced their way into the apartment in an attempt to commit a robbery. Once inside, they began shooting at the victims, striking each one multiple times. The suspects then fled the scene on foot.

The Dothan Police Department says it is still searching for two more suspects. No other details have been released.

Both Blackmon and Tubbs are in custody at the Houston County Jail under no bond.

Copyright 2019 WSFA 12 News. All rights reserved.

Source: View WSFA.com Article

Criminal Details

DothanEagle.com
Michele Forehand May 27, 2019 Updated Jun 21, 2019

Dothan teens charged with murder in Florida Avenue shooting

Two Dothan teens face capital murder and attempted murder in a Saturday shooting on Florida Avenue.

Willie Blackmon, 18, and Kaleb Tubbs, 18, both of Dothan were arrested Sunday, May 26, and charged with capital murder and attempted murder for the shooting death of Shawn Bernard Callins, 35, of Dothan. Kanesha Lee, 31, of Dothan, was critically injured.

Dothan Police responded at 1:50 p.m. Saturday, May 25, to a report of shots fired in the 400 block of Florida Avenue. Two people – a male and a female – suffered gunshot wounds and were in critical condition.

According to Dothan Police Chief Steve Parrish it was determined during the investigation the suspects forced their way in the front door. Once inside the home, the suspects began shooting at the victims. Both victims were struck multiple times.

Houston County Coroner Robert Byrd said Callins died about 3:30 p.m., Saturday in the emergency room at Southeast Health.

Lee was shot in both legs and femur, shattering her femur. Lee was air lifted to a Florida hospital for treatment of her injuries. Lee was six months pregnant. Once arriving at the Florida hospital an emergency c-section was performed to deliver the baby. The baby is in NICU in critical condition. Lee remains in the ICU in critical condition with a rod and guide in her femur.

“From my understanding, the crime which lead to the death of Mr. Callins and critically injured Ms. Lee was robbery,” said Dothan Police Chief Steve Parrish.

The investigation is still ongoing. Anyone with information about the crime is urged to contact the Dothan Police Department at 334-615-3000 or CrimeStoppers at 334-793-7000.

Blackman and Tubbs are in the Houston County Jail with no bond.

Source: View DothanEagle.com Article

Criminal Details

DothanFirst.com
Robert Smith | Paige Weeks | Nathaniel Rodriguez
Posted: May 25, 2019 03:14 PM CDT
Updated: May 29, 2019 06:55 PM CDT

Fourth suspect captured in Florida Avenue shooting

The name of the third suspect in the Florida Avenue Shooting has been released.

Tuesday night, Dothan investigators searched for David Markel Key at a home in Abbeville due to his supposed involvement the death of Shawn Bernard Callins and the assault on Kenisha Lee, who was pregnant at the time.

After arriving, police chased Key into the woods, finding him soon after with help from Alabama Department of Corrections Canine Team and the United States Marshall Service.

Key is charged with two counts of capital murder for the burglary and robbery. Key was also charged with one count of Attempted Murder.

He now joins Willie Blackmon and Kaleb Tubbs as suspects in the case, each in jail without bond.

1:39 p.m. The fourth suspect Carlos Lindsey was captured in Enterprise.

UPDATED 5/28/19:

A third suspect in Saturday's Florida Avenue murder was captured around 7 p.m. in Henry County after a six-hour long manhunt.

Tuesday evening, Dothan police, U.S. Marshals, Henry County investigators and Alabama Department of Corrections' tracking K-9s teamed up as they searched for the suspect.

At this time, the suspect's name has not been confirmed.

UPDATE:

This is now a murder investigation. One victim, a male, is dead. The other, a female, was airlifted to a Pensacola hospital. No further details are available at this time other than DPD is searching for suspects in this case.

ORIGINAL REPORT:

DOTHAN, Ala. (WDHN) — According to Lt. Rachel David, the Dothan Police Department received an initial call about shots fired around 2 p.m. A little after, the dispatch center updated officers about possible gunshot victims in a residence on Florida Avenue.

Officers arrived on the scene quickly and located two people suffering from gunshot wounds inside of the house. Officers along with the paramedics immediately went into life-saving actions.

Officers are currently canvassing the area for witnesses and getting information. The K-9 team ran tracks and cleared nearby residences.

At the moment, there are no suspects. If you have any helpful information involving this incident, call the dispatch center at 615-3000. More information is expected later.

Copyright 2019 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Source: View DothanFirst.com Article

Criminal Details

SoutheastSun.com
News Department - Feb 8, 2019 Updated Feb 8, 2019

One dead in possible self-defense incident

The Enterprise Police Department initiated a death investigation in the 100 Block of County Road 270 on Feb. 7 at 9:40 p.m., according to an EPD press release.

Responding officers discovered Rocky Beasley, 39, of Enterprise with a gunshot wound to the chest at the residence, and the suspect was still at the scene when officers arrived, according to the release.

According to the EPD, the preliminary investigation revealed that the incident may have been a case of self-defense so the suspect was released without charges after consultation with the Coffee County District Attorney’s Office.

This is still an active investigation and no additional information will be released, according to EPD.

The EPD’s Criminal Investigations Divisions is conducting the investigation and asks that anyone with additional information to contact the EPD at (334) 347-2222 or leave a tip at www.enterprisepd.com.

Source: View SoutheastSun.com Article

Criminal Details

DothanEagle.com
Michele Forehand - Feb 8, 2019 Updated Feb 18, 2019

Enterprise Police investigate shooting, victim has been identified

Enterprise police are investigating the Feb. 7 shooting death of Rocky Beasley, 39, of Enterprise.

Officers arrived on the scene in the 100 block of County Road 270 at about 9:40 p.m. and discovered Beasley with a gunshot wound to the chest area. A suspect was still at the scene when law enforcement arrived, said Enterprise Police Lt. Billy Haglund.

Haglund said the preliminary investigation shows the shooting may be case of self-defense. The suspect has been released without charges.

According to Haglund the investigation is ongoing by the Enterprise Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division, and no additional information is available at this time.

Beasley was arrested and charged with three felony counts of attempted murder in February 2012.

Court documents show in October 2012 a Coffee County jury convicted Beasley of a lesser charge of reckless endangerment.

Prosecutors said he allegedly fired a gun at several police, striking two of their vehicles.

Anyone with any information regarding the death of Beasley is asked to call the Enterprise Police Department at, 334-347-2222.

Source: View DothanEagle.com Article

Criminal Details

DothanEagle.com
Staff Reports - Feb 8, 2019 Updated Jul 15, 2020

Possible self-defense incident leaves one dead

According to the Enterprise Police Department, a death investigation was initiated at the 100 Block of County Road 270 on Thursday, Feb. 7, at 9:40 p.m.

Responding officers discovered Rocky Beasley, 39, of Enterprise, with a gunshot wound to the chest at the residence. The suspect was still at the scene when police arrived.

The preliminary investigation, according to the EPD, revealed this may be a case of self-defense and the suspect was released without charges after consultation with the Coffee County District Attorney’s Office.

This is an active investigation and no additional information will be released.

The Enterprise Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division (CID) is conducting this investigation and asks that anyone with additional information to contact the Enterprise Police Department at (334) 347-2222, or leave a tip at www.enterprisepd.com.

Source: View DothanEagle.com Article

Criminal Details

DothanEagle.com
Michele W. Forehand - Jun 11, 2019

Victim in Kinston shooting identified, no arrests made

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Bureau of Investigations has released the name of the victim in Sunday evening’s shooting in Kinston.

Kaleb Giles, 19, of Kinston, is identified as the victim in the shooting, according to ALEA investigator Lt. Heath Carpenter.

On Sunday, Dec. 16, the Alabama State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) responded to a firearm assault in Kinston in Coffee County at the request of the Kinston Police Chief Alvah Carlson.

At approximately 4:15 p.m. on Dec. 16, the Kinston Police Department received reports of a firearm assault in the 700 block of Highway 52 North. When officers arrived, they found Giles suffering from what is believed to be multiple gunshot wounds. Giles died from his injuries at the scene.

Officers made immediate contact with a person of interest who remained on the scene and fully cooperated with investigators. SBI agents, along with investigators from the Coffee County District Attorney’s Office, Coffee County Sheriff’s Office and the Kinston Police Department actively participated in the case.

An autopsy will be performed, Carpenter said, adding that the completed investigation will be submitted by the Coffee County District Attorney’s Office for review.

Source: View DothanEagle.com Article

Criminal Details

AndalusiaNews.com
Kendra Majors - Published 1:58 am Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Family mourns 2-year-old, seeks healing prayers for hospitalized twin

A River Falls family is grieving for the loss of a 2-year-old and praying for quick recovery of the 2-year-old’s twin brother.

“Nehemiah was 2 years old and recently passed,” said family member Kimanisha Trawick, who has organized a GoFundMe account for the family. “We are asking if anybody can help a little bit with the funeral costs for our loss. Nehemiah meant the world to all of us and deserves a nice funeral ceremony. He was so sweet and kind with everyone and he always gave everyone a great big smile and was so loving to his twin brother and his sisters. Please help his mom, sisters, little brother and the family, as we lost an amazing child.”

Nehemiah Armstrong was the son of Emery Armstrong, who is also currently having to travel out of town to visit her other 2-year-old son, Jeremiah Armstrong, who is hospitalized.

The family plans to use some of the money raised to help with the gas expense to and from the hospital.

Trawick has set at $3,000 fundraising goal. At press time, $560 of it had been raised. The family did not have life insurance.

A candlelight vigil service will be held for Nehemiah Taylen Armstrong on Thurs., Nov. 16, at 5 p.m., at Andalusia Head Start, located at 719 Whatley Street in Andalusia.

Source: View WTVY.com Article

Criminal Details

DothanFirst.com
Staff Report - Posted: Nov 30, 2018 / 01:45 AM CST / Updated: Dec 1, 2018 / 04:03 AM CST

Mother seeks justice for toddler’s death as new details emerge

ENTERPRISE, Ala. (WDHN) — A mother is reliving the death of her 2-year-old son Nehemiah after new medical reports were released providing the child’s cause of death.

The toddler was found unresponsive on Nov. 9, 2017, at a home in Sunny South Trailer Park.

Emery Armstrong left Nehemiah, along with his twin brother and two sisters, to be cared for by her boyfriend’s family while she went to work.

“I had just moved down here, and I was only here for two weeks when it happened,” Armstrong said.

While Armstrong was at work, an emergency call was made to police; Nehemiah was unresponsive.

“The police called my job, and they told me my son was in critical condition and that I needed to go to the hospital,” she said. “I went to the hospital. They finally let me see my daughters, and then they showed me my son Jeremiah, and I was like ‘where’s Nehemiah?’ They showed me him, and he was gone.”

There was nothing more they could do.

“I told them please try again, please,” Armstrong said through her tears.

Nehemiah’s death certificate recently revealed blunt force trauma to the head neck and torso.

“It wasn’t no accident,” Armstrong said.

Still, the cause of death remains undetermined until medical records can be reviewed by forensic specialists.

“What happened to my baby?” Armstrong said. “When I left him, he was fine! I told my baby I loved him, he kissed me, and I told him I would see him later. What do you mean?”

Lt. Billy Haglund with the Enterprise Police Department said that authorities are still looking into the case.

“What I can tell you is it’s still being investigated, and we don’t have any more information to release at this time,” he said.

Whatever happened, Armstrong’s life is now marred forever by the loss of her child.

“A regular day just waking up, getting my kids ready and going to work like usual, turned into a disaster,” she lamented. “I lost everything.”

Source: View DothanFirst.com Article

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WSFA.com
Randi Hildreth | November 9, 2018 at 6:42 PM CST - Updated November 9 at 6:42 PM

New medical records released, family seeking justice in toddler’s death

ENTERPRISE, AL (WSFA) - In black ink, written on 2-year-old Nehemiah’s state death certificate it lists the immediate cause of death as blunt force trauma injuries. The lines below detail injuries to his head, neck, and torso. The manner of his death still undetermined.

His mom, Emery Armstrong, said a year later and now with more information about his death - she’s looking for investigators to dig deeper.

“I need help. This wasn’t my homeboy. This wasn’t my homegirl - this was my child. I need justice. It’s been a whole year and nothing has been done. It shouldn’t be that way,” said Armstrong.

One year ago Friday, Emery got a call that ripped her family apart. Her 2-year-old son Nehemiah had died.

Enterprise police say Nehemiah was found unresponsive on Nov. 9, 2017, at a home in Sunny South Trailer Park. Armstrong said Nehemiah along with her three other children - including Nehemiah’s twin brother - were at the home under the supervision of her ex-boyfriend’s family while she was at work.

According to an ambulance report, provided by Armstrong, emergency workers noted when they arrived at the scene a man approached them holding Nehemiah stating that he was already dead and there was nothing that could be done.

Nehemiah was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

On the one-year anniversary of his death - a frustrated Emery was setting up signs outside the Enterprise police department in protest - wearing a shirt with demands for justice.

“Y’all know something happened, so do something about it,” said Armstrong.

Enterprise police confirmed it is still an open case and forensic specialists are reviewing medical records. Lt. Billy Haglund noted there was nothing else that could be released about the ongoing investigation.

Armstrong said she plans to continue to fight for answers.

Meanwhile, time hasn’t faded the grief of loss or the sweet memories of her baby boy.

“It’s a year later, and I still feel the last hug he gave me before he left that day. I still feel the little bitty kisses on my cheek of his lips. I can still hear him running from the kitchen to the living room to me. I still hear the footsteps,” said Emery Armstrong.

Copyright 2018 WSFA 12 News. All rights reserved.

Source: View WSFA.com Article

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DothanPD.org
Press Release - September 11, 2018

Press Release for Murder Investigation

On Sept. 10, 2018 at approximately 6:30 a.m. Dothan Police Officers responded to a 911 call reporting an assault in the 300 block of Pettus St. Dothan. Moments later Officers arrived scene to discover a white male, later identified as 59-year-old Neal Craft Barber, laying in the driveway. It was obvious to the Officers that Barber had suffered some sort of trauma as Dothan Fire Medics arrived to medically assess the victim. It was determined that Barber had succumbed to his injuries before the Officers or Medics arrival and he was not transported to a medical facility.

Upon examination of Barber and the surrounding scene, it was determined that he was the victim of an assault that occurred sometime in the early morning hours on Sept. 10th. Dothan Police Patrol Officers located and detained several persons of interest at the scene in a storage building at the rear of the residence. Investigators obtained a search warrant for the property and discovered that the storage building was the physical crime scene where Barber was assaulted. All of the people located in the storage building were transported to the Dothan Police Department.

Once the crime scene was processed and interviews were conducted by Dothan Police Crime Scene Investigators and Criminal Investigators, it was discovered that earlier that morning there was an argument that led to a physical altercation. During that altercation Barber suffered multiple injuries caused by blunt force trauma to his head that were not survivable. Probable cause was established to charge two people with the murder of Barber.

Charged with Murder are 24-year-old Dontavious Givens, of Pettus Street Dothan, and Jatavion Lakeldrick Collins, of Monument Street Dothan. Both individuals arrested are being held with a no bond. Both suspects will be scheduled for a Preliminary Hearing in Houston County Circuit Court.

Source: View DothanPD.org Press Release

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WTVY.COM
Lynsey Smith - Sep. 11, 2018 at 5:31 PM CDT

Suspects charged with the murder of Neal Barber

Dothan Police say this crime was apparently committed during an argument over drugs.

The body of 59 year old Neal Craft Barber was found Monday morning lying in a driveway in the 300 block of Pettus Street.

He had apparently died from blunt force trauma.

Dothan Police Lt. Lynn Watkins says Barber had been in a fight with 24-year-old Dentavious Givens and 20-year-old Jatavion Collins early Monday morning.

Watkins says "We would've liked to get-gotten a report well before we did in this case...maybe there would've been something we could've done to maybe save his life. Unfortunately, that didn't happen in this case and it's tragic but anybody that sees an assault taking place, go ahead and notify the police department so we can get there and get that person medical treatment as soon as possible."

Both Givens and Collins are being held without bond.

Source: View WTVY.com Article

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DothanEagle.com
Michele Forehand Apr 22, 2020 Updated Apr 22, 2020

Neal Craft Barber’s family speaks out; looking for justice in brutal death

year and a half after his brutal death, Neal Craft Barber’s family wants answers and demands justice be served.

According to police reports, Barber was beaten to death Sept. 10, 2018. His body was found in the 300 block of Dothan’s Pettus Street. He had multiple blunt-force trauma head injuries and broken ribs and other injuries from which he later died.

Dentavious Jamal Givens and Jatavion Lakeldrick Collins, both of Dothan, were charged with Barber’s slaying.

“We want to know how one of the men charged with my brother’s murder, Detavious Givens, has once again got a bond set after having his first bond was revoked because he got arrested on an assault charge after he tried to attack his sister. Why did he get bond in the beginning?” Barber’s brother, Tim Barber asked during a Tuesday phone interview.

“Look at the nature of this killing. No, my brother was not a saint, but to be murdered like he was is horrific. He was beaten. Police say the marks look as if he was beaten with the butt of a gun. He had been kicked over, over and over. They broke his ribs by kicking him. He was stabbed. He had been beaten in the head with a block. His pure scalp had been turned back.

“This information was given to us by detectives, and it was all said during the preliminary hearings. You know, if they would have shot him in the back of the head, that would have been mercy. We are told the beating went on for hours.”

Dothan police believe the murder stemmed from an argument over drugs. Lt. Lynn Watkins said earlier that Givens and Collins believed Neil Barber had taken their drugs.

Tim Barber knows his brother was killed by an acquaintance, but that doesn’t help the family deal with the loss.

“We just want answers,” Barber said. “We want to know why additional charges were not filed.

“It has been determined Neal was able to get away, and was trying to make it to McDonald’s for help. But before he could reach McDonald’s, Collins grabbed him and dragged him back to Pettus Street. He allegedly dragged him so forceful Neal’s shoes were stuck in the ground where he tried to brace himself. Why were kidnapping charges not filed?”

During the investigation it was determined Neal Barber was residing in a shack near where his body was found. One of the suspects charged resides in the home where the killing occurred. At first, the residents of the home, including one of the suspects, claimed to police they had no idea who the victim was or why his body was on the property.

His brother believes the judicial system continuing to set bond for Givens, who previously had his bond revoked, “is ridiculous.”

“OK, he got bond once and committed another crime,” Barber said. “Why give him another chance? He doesn’t deserve another chance.

“Like I said earlier, we just want simple justice for Neal. We want both of these men to spend the rest of their lives behind bars.”

Collins and Givens have jury trial dates set for this summer.

Murder is a Class A felony carrying a penalty of no less than 10 years, and no more than life or 99 years in prison.

Source: View DothanEagle.com Article

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WHNT.com
By Joel Porter, Laura Christmas, Jess Grotjahn - July 15, 2018

Guntersville police charge man with four counts of Capital Murder in connection with homicide investigation, third victim added

One has to wonder if the Reliford family is cursed.

Martha Reliford was one of three people killed in Guntersville last Friday in what Guntersville police are calling four cases of capital murder.

Reliford grew up in Parches Cove near Union Grove. She is the third member of her family to be murdered. Police haven’t said yet exactly how she died.

In 2007, her sister Ruby Hardin, was shot and killed in Huntsville, and in 1995, their brother, Pat Reliford Jr., was shot and killed in Parches Cove.

Jimmy O’Neal Spencer, 52, a homeless ex-convict, is accused of the four murders in Guntersville.

Guntersville Police Chief Jim Peterson said Spencer is originally from Franklin County but had been in the Guntersville area since about January, sleeping on park benches and occasionally in a motel room.

Spencer spent more than 20 years in prison on burglary charges.

Source: View TheArabTribune.com Article

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WHNT.com
By Laura Christmas - December 13, 2018

Five months later, a look into the Guntersville triple murder investigation

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. - Guntersville Police Chief Jim Peterson announced an arrest in what is now a triple homicide investigation. Marie Martin, 74, and her great-grandson, Colton Lee, 7, were found dead at a home on Mulberry Street on Friday. Police say Martin was looking after Colton when it seems someone came into her home and killed them.

During the initial investigation, authorities performed a welfare check on Martha Dell Reliford, and she was also found dead in her home on Mulberry Street.

Monday afternoon during a news conference, Guntersville Police Chief Jim Peterson said his investigators have charged Jimmy O'Neal Spencer with four counts of Capital Murder on three separate victims in connection with the investigation. According to the jail log, Spencer is facing capital murder during robbery 1st degree, capital murder when victim is less than 14 years of age, capital murder of two or more persons, and capital murder during robbery 1st degree.

Spencer is currently held without bond in the Marshall County Jail.

"I am very sad for these families, but I am also very proud of these officers," said Chief Peterson. "This is the most impressive police work that I have ever personally witnessed, ever."

Spencer is not from Guntersville, and he has a criminal past. "Mr. Spencer's from Franklin County. He's spent a number of years in the state prison system. He's not been out of the system that long. How he got here, we're not totally sure. Been here for a short period of time sleeping on park benches, occasionally in hotel rooms around," explained Marshall County District Attorney's Office Chief Investigator John Young.

Police have not yet said what the motive was or if Spencer knew the victims. Peterson did say the deaths did not happen at the same time.

"From the first time they developed a suspect until he was stopped by a uniformed patrol officer was 42 hours and 16 minutes," Peterson said, "Work has been nonstop since Friday, this past Friday, at 4:36 p.m. when we received the first call there was a problem."

The victims' bodies were sent for autopsies, which officials completed. "Those bodies are about to be released to the family," Peterson said, "On relation to that going forward, I professionally can't speak to the manner of death until I have a letter from the Department of Forensic Sciences." That could come in the upcoming days.

Early in the investigation, officers said a vehicle was stolen from Martin's home. Peterson said this case is far from over.

The scene had police presence around the clock. "Processing is very critical to the case and we're not going to rush that in any manner," Peterson explained.

A fourth person was also found dead at the same time in the same area. Police say that James Michael Baker, was reported missing from his home in Albertville early Friday morning. Investigators say they have no reason to believe he died of anything other than natural causes, but they are waiting for official autopsy results.

Initially, police detained Christopher Chambers as a person of interest but he was ruled out as a suspect. On Sunday, Peterson said Chambers was in the Guntersville City Jail because he had outstanding warrants with multiple agencies. "He is free to take normal course of action on Failure To Appear warrants as anyone else would who was arrested," Peterson said.

Peterson said they almost never see a case as graphic as this. "We have a 7-year-old boy who's been brutally murdered, along with his grandmother," Peterson said. "That's pretty tough on anybody. A lot of us have been doing this for a long time."

Outpouring of support for investigating officers

People in the community showed an outpouring of support for the officers working this case by providing them with meals and drinks as they investigated around the clock, and stayed on the scene.

Kari Altom brought armfuls of bags inside the Guntersville Police Department Tuesday morning. It was dinner for the officers on duty.

She's a lifelong member of Guntersville Church of Christ. When the news broke about the double homicide investigation, the members decided to do something to help the officers working it. “I went to church Sunday morning and made an announcement, and by the time I left I had $550 to go and buy food for the police.”

“I still have people texting saying 'what can I do, how can I help?'”

A GoFundMe account has been set up in order to help the family to help pay for expenses and set up a memorial "to bring honor to Marie and Colton."

The church members supplied drinks and snacks for the officers on scene and dinners for every officer working over the last several days. “I cannot overstate the support we’ve gotten from the community," Chief Jim Peterson said, "There’s just no way I could mention it all. Everybody needs to eat. It’s really hard for us when we’re on a scene like this. We’ve had a tremendous outpouring from churches, and just private citizens.”

“I had pretty early on a text from an individual in town that immediately offered $5,000 for a reward," he added.

It wasn't easy for the officers to investigate a case involving a seven-year-old.

“I know they’re having a hard time, so it’s just to show them that we love them and let them know that we’re praying for them,” Altom said.

Neighbors are understandably shaken. "It could've easily been anybody down here, you know," said Brad Bruner, one of Martin's neighbors. We're all used to a quiet neighborhood. It's family down here, man."

"You see it in the movies, you see it on the news, but when it's in your neighborhood, it's crazy man," Bruner said.

A family member of one of the victims released the following statement to the public:

"The family of Marie Kitchens Martin and Colton Ryan Lee wants the public to be very diligent when coming across prayer vigils and GoFundMe's for the family. An organization called "Lock Dwn Ranch Outreach" has created a prayer vigil event for the victims on July 28 from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Civitan Park. However, the family has nothing to do with the organization nor the prayer vigil. Many churches have been supporting and helping the family during this time. The family also wants to thank the police officers and investigators for all their hard work and everything during this process as well. The family urges to be careful where you donate money to. The family also requests that if people want to donate, they should donate to the police officers and bring them waters or feed them meals."

Source: View WHNT.com Article

Criminal Details

The Arab Tribune
By Charles Whisenant - July 20, 2018

Martha Reliford, third sibling to be murdered

One has to wonder if the Reliford family is cursed.

Martha Reliford was one of three people killed in Guntersville last Friday in what Guntersville police are calling four cases of capital murder.

Reliford grew up in Parches Cove near Union Grove. She is the third member of her family to be murdered. Police haven’t said yet exactly how she died.

In 2007, her sister Ruby Hardin, was shot and killed in Huntsville, and in 1995, their brother, Pat Reliford Jr., was shot and killed in Parches Cove.

Jimmy O’Neal Spencer, 52, a homeless ex-convict, is accused of the four murders in Guntersville.

Guntersville Police Chief Jim Peterson said Spencer is originally from Franklin County but had been in the Guntersville area since about January, sleeping on park benches and occasionally in a motel room.

Spencer spent more than 20 years in prison on burglary charges.

Source: View TheArabTribune.com Article

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WHNT.com
By Laura Christmas - December 13, 2018

Five months later, a look into the Guntersville triple murder investigation

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. -- It's been exactly five months since a triple murder shocked the quiet city of Guntersville. Two scenes, one neighborhood. It was a case that shook every officer working.

Investigators say Marie Martin was looking after her great-grandson, seven-year-old Colton Lee, at her home on Mulberry Street in July when she was strangled and stabbed. Colton was killed by blunt force trauma. Days earlier, investigators say her neighbor, Martha Dell Reliford, had been hit in the head with the back flat part of a hatchet and stabbed.

Shortly after the investigation started, Guntersville police officers arrested Jimmy O'Neal Spencer and charged him with capital murder. Not long after that, a grand jury indicted him on capital murder charges.

Spencer is not from Guntersville, and was homeless at the time of the murders. He spent years in Alabama prisons and was facing a life term. The state paroled Spencer in January and sent him to a Birmingham halfway house, which he later left - something his parole officer didn't know.

Now, five months later, Spencer is back in prison and investigators are still working the case - which is far from over.

"Certainly, the bulk of the investigation is done. Like I say, an investigation in a case like this is never over. It will go on right on up to trial," explained Marshall County District Attorney Everette Johnson. He said he isn't aware of any real tips investigators are following up on. "What the police are in the process of doing, as well as the rest of us, is just maintaining, and analyzing, and organizing the evidence that we already have," Johnson said. He added investigators will work any new information that becomes available.

Officials are also waiting on continued analysis of forensic evidence and the final autopsies on the victims. "The physical scene, the physical evidence from the initial investigation, makes it clear how these victims died, and we will be waiting the final autopsy reports," Johnson said. He added the autopsy can reveal details they didn't know.

In the summer, investigators searched an area along Highway 79 and found some things taken into evidence, but officials didn't release what those items were but called them articles of value. Investigators also didn't comment if they've found the murder weapon or weapons. A lot of evidence is sent off to forensics to be analyzed and Johnson stressed this case is far from over.

Spencer pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. The defense filed a motion for psychiatric evaluation. He's scheduled to be in court on March 4. The state is seeking the death penalty.

Source: View WHNT.com Article

Criminal Details

AL.COM
Ivana Hrynkiw - July 14, 2018

Great-grandmother, 7-year-old ID'd in Guntersville double homicide; two others dead

Guntersville police have identified four people who were found dead across the city on Friday evening, including a woman and her great-grandson who were killed in her Mulberry Street home.

Police Chief Jim Peterson said during a news conference Saturday afternoon that the double-homicide victims have been identified as Marie Kitchens Martin and her great-grandson Colton Ryan Lee. Martin was 74-years-old and a longtime resident of Guntersville; Colton was 7-years-old, and visiting from Huntsville.

"We're really sad about this," Peterson said, and added there's no evidence yet to show the four deaths are related, but investigators are "not ruling out anything whatsoever."

"Everything we can possibly think of is on the table," he said.

Police were called to the Mulberry Street home around 4:36 p.m. Friday, where they found Martin and Colton's bodies inside. Peterson did not release the way the two died, but said they were "brutally murdered."

Shortly after putting out a lookout bulletin for a person of interest in the crime, police captured 30-year-old Christopher Michael Chambers. He's been questioned in the slaying and is being held in the Guntersville jail on unrelated, outstanding warrants. He also has outstanding warrants from Marshall County.

Four dead in unrelated investigations in Guntersville

Police have determined two people died by homicide. A person living near the crime scene was also found dead in a home, but police say the deaths aren't connected.

Peterson said residents in the Mill Village area, where Mulberry Street is located, told police that Chambers has been "coming and going" for some time and wasn't new to the area.

Police haven't identified a "true suspect" yet in the killing, but Peterson urged the killer to turn himself in. "If you have one shred of decency," he said, "it's in your best personal interest to turn yourself into the police department."

Friday's double homicide began a long night for police. While they were investigating the Mulberry Street scene, a neighbor alerted officers to a house across the street, where the homeowner hadn't been seen in about 10 days. Peterson said they knew that resident, 65-year-old Martha Reliford, had medical problems.

Police entered the home to do a welfare check, and found Reliford dead inside.

Within an hour of finding Reilford, a fourth person was found dead about a quarter mile away in a ditch on Miller Street. That victim was identified as James Michael Baker, who had been reported missing from his home in Albertville early Friday morning.

Police said Baker's death appears to be natural, but they're not ruling out foul play.

The four bodies were sent to Huntsville for an autopsy, and investigators asked the bodies be placed on "priority status."

Read article on AL.COM

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AJC.COM
Crystal Bonvillian - July 18, 2018

Homeless ex-con accused of killing 3 people – including 7-year-old – in 2 attacks

GUNTERSVILLE, ALA. —  A homeless Alabama man who spent the majority of his adult life in prison has been charged with killing three people, including a 7-year-old boy, in two separate attacks at homes across the street from one another.

Jimmy O’Neal Spencer, 52, is charged with four counts of capital murder in Guntersville, a small lakeside city about 40 miles southeast of Huntsville. Guntersville Police Chief Jim Peterson announced the arrest Tuesday in a news conference streamed live on Facebook.

Peterson said he is confident that his detectives found the man responsible for the slayings.

“We’ve got the right guy. I’ll tell you that professionally and personally,” Peterson said. “Through the grace of God, we’ve got the right guy.”

Spencer is charged with killing Marie Kitchens Martin, 74, and her great-grandson, Colton Ryan Lee, at Martin’s home at 2404 Mulberry St. The boy was visiting Martin from Huntsville.

He is also accused of killing Martha Dell Reliford, 65, who was found dead in her home at 2321 Mulberry St. that same day. The houses are across the street from one another.

Spencer faces two counts of capital murder during a first-degree robbery, capital murder of a victim under the age of 14 and capital murder of two or more people, jail records show. He is being held without bail in the Marshall County Jail.

A fourth death discovered as police canvassed the area on Friday is not believed to be related to the homicides, Peterson said. The body of James Michael Baker, 68, was found in a ditch a couple of blocks from the Martin-Lee and Reliford crime scenes.

Baker, who had been reported missing from nearby Albertville Friday morning, is believed to have died of natural causes, Peterson said. Investigators are awaiting confirmation from the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences.

Colton’s obituary describes him as having loved to help plant a vegetable garden, as well as sweeping, monster trucks, John Deere and tractor pulls.

“He especially loved his puppies, Harley and Max,” the obituary read.

Colton is survived by his mother, Tiffany Lee, and a brother; he was preceded in death by his father, Chris Lee. A GoFundMe page set up by the Albertville High School Class of 2004 for Lee, a member of that year’s class, said that Chris Lee died in September 2010, just two months before Colton was born.

Colton and his great-grandmother are scheduled to be buried Thursday following a joint funeral. Reliford’s funeral information was not available online.

Reliford is the third sibling in her family to become the victim of a homicide. The Arab Tribune in 2012 reported that Reliford, who was blind in one eye and fighting cancer, attended a parole hearing for Victor Wray, the man who shot and killed her brother, Pat Reliford Jr., during a fight in 1995.

“He’s scum of the Earth, a lower-than-dirt coward,” Martha Reliford said of her brother’s killer in 2012.

Reliford had been sick since at least 2006, the Tribune reported. According to the Advertiser-Gleam in Guntersville, she was still fighting the disease when she was killed.

Reliford spoke her mind again at Wray’s most recent parole hearing, which took place last summer.

“I’m eat up with cancer, but I will be at that hearing if I have to crawl,” she said at the time.

Reliford’s sister, Ruby Harbin, was shot to death in 2007 at the American Legion in Huntsville. The gunman, William Koller, killed Harbin after she refused to dance with him, AL.com reported.

Koller had become obsessed with Harbin, who he had known for some time, the news site reported. He was sentenced to life in prison in her killing.

‘Not indicative of our city’

Peterson did not detail what led investigators to suspect Spencer in the homicides, but he called his investigators’ work on the case the “most impressive police work (he has) ever personally witnessed.” He said the time from the moment they developed a suspect to the moment Spencer was taken into custody was 42 hours and 16 minutes.

“Work has been nonstop since Friday, this past Friday at 4:36 p.m., when we received the first call that there was a problem,” Peterson said.

Detectives were at Martin’s home, investigating that crime scene, Friday afternoon when a neighbor approached and told them that Reliford had not been seen or heard from in about 10 days. Officers who went across the street to check on her welfare found her body.

John Young, chief investigator for the Marshall County District Attorney’s Office, said at Tuesday’s news conference that the attack on Martin and Lee and the attack on Reliford did not happen at the same time.

Spencer is originally from Franklin County in west Alabama, Young said.

“He’s spent a number of years in the state prison system,” Young said. “He’s not been out of prison that long. How he got here, we’re not totally sure. (He’s) been here for a short period of time, sleeping on park benches, occasionally in hotel rooms around.”

Spencer spent more than 20 years in prison on burglary charges, Peterson said. He has been in the Guntersville area since about January.

Young said there was no known relationship between Spencer and the victims, but the Advertiser-Gleam reported that Spencer had stayed with Raliford on and off in her home.

“He wasn’t living there, but he stayed there some and was an acquaintance,” Marshall County District Attorney Everett Johnson told the newspaper. “As for Mrs. Martin and Spencer, the details are unclear.”

Young and Peterson declined Tuesday to discuss the motive for the slayings, but Johnson confirmed for the Advertiser-Gleam what the charges against Spencer indicated -- that the two women were robbed.

The object of those robberies was cash, Johnson told the newspaper.

Peterson also declined to say how the victims were killed, but family members of Martin and her great-grandson told the Advertiser-Gleam that both suffered blunt force trauma and that Martin was also strangled.

Reliford’s cause of death remains private, pending official word from state forensic pathologists. Detectives initially thought that her death could be due to natural causes due to her health problems, but her autopsy showed that she had been slain, Peterson said.

The slayings shocked the community of Guntersville, where even investigators struggled to remember exactly when they had seen the city’s last homicide.

“This is not indicative of our city in any manner,” Peterson said.

Peterson said he hopes that the arrest can give the community, particularly the families of the victims, relief.

"I pray that, although we cannot give the families their loved ones back, we can at least deliver some degree of justice,” the chief said.

Read article on AJC.COM

Man held after woman shot, killed on July 4

Montgomer Advertiser
Krista Johnson - July 5, 2018
View blog.AL.com

A Montgomery man has been arrested in relation to a fatal shooting on July 4.

Octavius Hampton, 24, was charged with murder after a domestic dispute Wednesday afternoon that led to the death of Charlayne Washington, 20, an MPD news release states.

The Montgomery Police Department and Fire Medics responded to the 3000 block of Southmall Circle at about 3:45 p.m. after receiving a report that a subject had been shot. There, they located Washington, who had sustained a gunshot wound and was transported to Baptist Medical Center South where she was later pronounced dead.

Hampton was arrested at the scene of the incident then transported to the Montgomery County Detention Facility, where he was being held under a $150,000 bond.

MPD’s investigation determined that the shooting stemmed from a domestic dispute between the victim and her boyfriend, the release states. Further investigation identified Hampton as the suspect.

No additional information is available for release at this time in connection with this continuing investigation

Source: View Montgomery Advertiser Article

Criminal Details

WTVY.com
By Ken Curtis - July 20, 2018

Death of Dothan woman could be a murder case

Newville, AL (WTVY)-- What first appeared to be a traffic wreck that killed a Dothan woman could turn into a murder case. Investigators plan to present evidence related to the death of 37-year old Jeanine Gravette to a Henry County Grand Jury next month.

“On June 24, the Ford Fusion she was driving ran off County Road 7 near Newville and went into some trees,” said Henry County Sheriff’s Investigator Keith Cauthen.

Badly hurt, emergency crews rushed Gravette to a Dothan hospital where she was on life support until she died several days later.

However, an accident report obtained by WTVY shows a state trooper concluded that Gravette’s injuries were not caused by the crash. The more investigators examined evidence, the more they became suspicious.

Her body was found several yards away from the car, near the side of the roadway. While the report doesn’t suggest murder, the case was turned over to county investigators who say they have worked up to 70 hours a week seeking answers.

However, Gravette’s mother thinks she already has the answer, believing her daughter’s longtime boyfriend, LaFelix Thomas, killed her daughter. “She was in a domestic violence situation (with Thomas) for about 10 years,” Tina Rodgers said.

Thomas’ criminal history shows numerous arrests for illegal drugs, theft, burglary and, in 2005, domestic violence. While that case didn’t involve Gravette, Rodgers claims Thomas abused her daughter so badly she was forced to find refuge in a shelter for battered women.

Court records show Rodgers, on behalf of Gravette, sought a protection order against Thomas while her daughter was hospitalized.

Investigator Cauthen stops short of calling Gravette’s death murder but said she suffered extensive injuries that he doesn’t believe the wreck caused.

While he declined to discuss whether she had been sexually molested Rodgers, in the protection order, claimed Thomas is under investigation for raping and beating her daughter who suffered three skull fractures.

Thomas was unreachable for comment because he is now in prison on a parole violation not related to Gravette’s death.

Reports also indicate there could be a second man involved who fled the scene.

Source: View WTVY.com Article

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DothanEagle.com
Michele W. Forehand - Mar 25, 2018

Dothan man charged with murder after allegedly beating girlfriend to death

A Dothan man who pleaded guilty to domestic abuse in 2006 now faces a murder charge for allegedly beating the same woman to death Thursday night.

Antonio Perez Jackson, 35, was arrested and charged in connection with the death of his girlfriend Brandy Lee Mancil, 36.

“We are still waiting on results that will list all the injuries of the victim,” said Dothan Police Lt. Lynn Watkins. “Right now, I can say she was severely beaten during a domestic altercation between her and her live-in boyfriend."

Officers responded to the 1200 block of Burbank Street Thursday evening in response to a medical emergency, Watkins said. Officers arrived at the scene to find Mancil inside the residence suffering from life-threatening injuries. She was transported by emergency personnel to Flowers Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Jackson is being held without bond.

Jackson pleaded guilty to third-degree domestic violence in 2006 stemming from an incident in which Jackson was charged with grabbing Mancil by her throat and choking her.

He received probation and was ordered to serve time in the local community corrections program. He was revoked from the community corrections program in June of 2007 after being terminated from his second job within a month. According to court documents, Jackson's community corrections service was revoked because his girlfriend and child were coming to his workplace on numerous occasions, causing arguments with fellow employees.

He was later charged with third degree escape in 2008. The charge was later dismissed after Jackson completed the pretrial diversion program.

Source: View DothanEagle.com Article

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DothanFirst.com
Tonya Pruitt - May 25, 2018

Domestic Incident Leads to Murder Arrest

Yesterday, on May 24, 2018, Dothan Police responded to the 1200 block of Burbank Street in response to a medical emergency. Patrol Officers arrived on scene and located Brandy Lee Mancil inside the residence with life threatening injuries. Emergency personnel transported her to Flowers Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Officers discovered that the incident was involving a domestic altercation between Mancil and her live in boyfriend Antonio Perez Jackson, 35, of Dothan. Detectives responded to the scene and determined foul play was involved and immediately began an investigation.

Jackson was taken to the Dothan Police Department for questioning due to the suspicious nature of Mancil’s death. After interviews were completed Jackson was charged with Murder for his involvement in the death of Brandy Mancil. A no bond has been requested in this case.

Source: View DothanFirst.com Article

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WTVY.com
Ken Curtis - May 11, 2018

Reward offered for information in murder case

Ozark (WTVY)-- [UPDATE: 5/11/2018 at 11:11:21 AM]

The Ozark Police Department is asking for the public's help with any information pertaining to the death of Cornelius Crittendon. Law enforcement are currently pursuing leads as they come in.

Police do believe this to be foul play. They are waiting for Forensic Sciences to conduct an autopsy before they can confirm that Mr. Crittenden's death was murder.

If someone has any information that leads to an arrest of a suspect they could receive up to $1,000 for that information.

All information should be submitted to one of the following:

• Ozark Police Department at 334-774-2644
• Ozark Police Dispatch Center at 334-774-5111
• Email [email protected]

The Ozark Police Department will ensure that all identities of anyone providing information will be kept confidential.

---------------------------------

Ozark police believe a man whose body was discovered Monday is a murder victim though they are awaiting forensics tests before making a final determination.

While police didn’t immediately identify the victim, family members say he is Cornelius Crittendon, in his mid-30’s. Crittendon suffered a gunshot wound, Police Chief Marlos Walker said.

“A neighbor saw the (homes) door opened with an unresponsive person inside (about 10 a.m.) and called 911,” Walker told WTVY.

He theorizes the shooting occurred several hours before Crittendon’s body was discovered saying police received a report of a gunshot in the area about 2 a.m. Officers didn’t see anything suspicious when they responded to Ozark Estates.

“He didn’t bother anybody,” said the victim’s father, Barry Crittendon. While police haven’t revealed a possible motive Crittendon believes his son was killed during a robbery.

Walker said there are no immediate suspects, but multiple witnesses were interviewed. He hopes autopsy results will be available later this week.

Source: View WTVY.com Article

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DothanFirst.com
Staff Reports - Mar 29, 2018 / 02:09 AM CDT / Updated: Mar 29, 2018 / 02:09 AM CDT

Elba woman charged with murder after running another woman over with car

ELBA, Ala. – At approximately 8:00 p.m. on March 27, the Elba Police Department responded to the report of a vehicle crash near the intersection of Farris Street and Kendrick Street involving a pedestrian.

The victim, Tiera Burks (20), of Elba, was transported by air ambulance to Southeast Alabama Medical Center in Dothan where she was treated, but later succumbed to her injuries.

Investigation into the crash revealed the victim has been in an altercation involving another individual which led to the victim being struck by the offender’s vehicle. Further investigation subsequently led to the arrest of Danae Ware (33), of Elba, AL.

Ware is currently in the Coffee County Jail with no bond until a first appearance on the charge of murder.

Anyone having further information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Elba Police Department at (334) 897-2555.

Copyright 2020 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Source: View DothanFirst.com Article

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SoutheastSun.com
Josh Boutwell - March 29, 2018 Updated April 3, 2018

Elba woman arrested in connection to murder

The Elba Police Department announced Wednesday, the arrest of an Elba woman in connection to a March 27 incident that left one Elba woman dead.

According to a news release, Elba PD at approximately 8 p.m. on March 27 responded to a report of a vehicle crash near the intersection of Farris St. and Kendrick St., behind the Family Dollar in Elba, involving a pedestrian.

The victim, Tiera Burks, 20, of Elba, was transported by air ambulance to Southeast Medical Center in Dothan where she was treated and then later died due to the injuries she suffered in the incident.

The investigation into the crash revealed that the victim had been in an altercation involving another individual, which led to the victim being struck by the offender’s vehicle, according to the news release.

Further investigation by the Elba PD led to the arrest of Danae Ware, 33, of Elba.

Ware is currently being held with no bond at Coffee County Jail until her first appearance on the charge of murder.

Elba PD is requesting that anyone with further information involving this incident contact Elba PD at (334) 897-2555.

Source: View SoutheastSun.com Article

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DothanFirst.com
Staff Reports - March 30, 2018 / 12:37 AM CDT / Updated: March 30, 2018 / 12:37 AM CDT

Neighbors and family members react to Elba woman’s murder

20-year-old Elba resident Tiera Burks died Tuesday, March 27 after being run over by a vehicle right in her front yard.

33-year-old Danae Ware has been arrested and charged for her murder.

Police investigation reveals Ware and Burks has an altercation, which led to Ware striking Burks with her vehicle.

Burks was transported to a local hospital where she later died.

Neighbors and family members say her death was tragic for the community and the altercation never should have led to murder.

Councilman Rolanda Jones will be holding a support and fundraiser event in April, with proceeds to go to Ms. Burk’s family.

Copyright 2020 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Source: View DothanFirst.com Article

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DothanEagle.com
Michele Forehand - June 20, 2018 Updated February 19, 2019

Grand jury to hear Elba woman’s murder case

ELBA – A Coffee County grand jury will consider the case against an Elba woman accused in a March 27 murder.

Coffee County District Judge Christopher Kaminski entered an order stating probable cause was found to exist during Danae Ware’s preliminary hearing; the case has been bound over to a grand jury.

Ware, 33, of Elba, was arrested March 28 and charged with the murder of 20-year-old Tiera Burks.

Police believe the incident stemmed from a verbal and physical altercation between the two women, which led to Ware allegedly striking Burks with her vehicle. Burks was transported to a Dothan hospital for treatment but later died from her injuries.

Ware told the police she did not intend to hit Burks with her car; she said she lost control of the vehicle when she was struck by Burks’ boyfriend through the vehicle’s window.

Kaminski granted the defense’s motion to reduce bail. Ware could be released from the Coffee County Jail by posting a $50,000 standard secured bond.

Source: View DothanEagle.com Article

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DothanEagle.com
Michele Forehand - Sep 14, 2018 Updated Feb 19, 2019

Bond reduced once again for woman facing murder charges

ELBA –A Coffee County District Judge reduced a bond amount of an Elba woman facing murder charges.

Danae Ware, 33, of Elba, went before Judge Christopher Kaminski during a bond reduction hearing. Kaminski reduced Ware’s bond to the standard bond amount of $30,000.

This was Ware’s second bond reduction hearing. During her last bond reduction hearing, Kaminski set her bond at $50,000. However, defense attorney Joshua Pipkin filed a motion on Aug. 23 requesting a bond reduction hearing. The motion stated his client was unable to pay excessive bond requirements.

Ware was arrested March 28 and charged with the murder of 20-year-old Tiera Burks.

Police believe the incident stemmed from a verbal and physical altercation between the two women, which led to Ware allegedly striking Burks with her vehicle. Burks was transported to a Dothan hospital for treatment but later died from her injuries.

Ware told the police she did not intend to hit Burks with her car; she said she lost control of the vehicle when Burks’ boyfriend struck her through the vehicle’s window.

Source: View DothanEagle.com Article

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DothanFirst.com
Staff Reports - Dec 11, 2018 / 12:12 AM CST / Updated: Dec 11, 2018 / 12:19 AM CST

Woman indicted for murder for running over Elba woman with vehicle

COFFEE COUNTY, Ala.– The woman charged with running over another woman at an Elba apartment complex earlier in March, has been indicted for murder by a Coffee County grand jury.

Danae Ware was arrested after she allegedly ran over and killed 20-year-old Elba resident, Tiera Burks, in her own front yard on March 27.

A police investigation reveals an altercation between the two is what led to Ware allegedly striking Burks with the vehicle she was driving.

Burks was transported to a local hospital where she later died.

Ware’s arraignment hearing has been set for January 15th at the Elba Courthouse.

Copyright 2020 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Source: View DothanFirst.com Article

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DothanEagle.com
Michele W. Forehand - Mar 28, 2018

Troy Police says it has identified a person of interest in weekend murder

Barr stated the case remains open.

“The facts that have been gathered have been presented to the Pike County District Attorney’s Office,” Barr said.

The case will be presented to a Pike County grand jury at a later date.

With the investigation still open, police have declined to identify the person of interest currently.

According to police, Edwards was found shot to death on Watkins Court just before midnight Saturday. When officers arrived on the scene, the area was filled with bystanders. Anyone with information related to the case is asked to call the Troy Police Department at 334-566-0500. A secret witness hotline is also available at 334-566-5555.

Source: View DothanEagle.com Article

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AlabamaNews.net
News Staff - Mar 25, 2018

Troy Police Investigating Murder

The Troy Police Department is conducting a murder investigation following the death of a man late last night.

Police say 27-year-old Jamarion Deandre Edwards was found shot to death on Watkins Court just before midnight. Police say there were a lot of people on Watkins Court when Edwards was killed.

Police hope that anyone with information will call them at (334) 566-0500 or the Secret Witness Line at (334) 566-5555.

Alabama News Network will keep you updated on the investigation.

Source: View AlabamaNews.net Article