2014 Birmingham homicides

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Map of Birmingham homicides in 2014

This is a List of Birmingham homicides in 2014. It includes homicide cases occurring within the city limits during the calendar year. Note that a "homicide" refers to the cause of death as determined by a medical examiner, not to the commission of the crime of murder as charged by police and prosecutors.

A total of 63 homicides were reported during the year, setting a new record low since 1966, when there were 56 homicides investigated. Based on the 2013 census estimate of 212,113 population, that represents 29.7 homicides per 100,000 population. Birmingham had 69 homicides in 2013, previous record lows of 64 in both 2010 and 2011, and a record high of 141 in 1992.

The city averaged 5.25 homicides per month, or one every 5.79 days. There were 3 incidents in January, none in February, 5 in March, 8 in April, 8 in May, 5 in June, 4 in July, 7 in August, 9 in September, 3 in October, 5 in November, and 6 in December. Fourteen deaths were reported on Sundays, 7 on Mondays, 8 on Tuesdays, 4 on Wednesdays, 4 on Thursdays, 16 on Fridays and 10 on Saturdays.

Of the 63 reported homicides, suspects have been identified in 41 cases, apprehended in 36, and charged in 28. Convictions have been obtained in 8 cases, including 1 case where a jury reduced the charge and 2 in which the defendants pleaded to a lesser charge. Charges were dismissed in two cases when key witnesses did not appear, and in another when a grand jury failed to indict. Two other trials ended in acquittal. Suspects in three deaths killed themselves. Eight homicides were ruled justifiable by prosecutors, including one officer-involved shooting, and four other deaths were caused by reckless driving rather than malice aforethought. The police department therefore acknowledged 54 chargeable homicides, of which 52 were classified as murders. At the end of June, the Department claimed to have closed 19 of 23 cases for an 84% clearance rate.

At least fifty-three of the reported homicides were shootings, five were stabbings, and four resulted from vehicle collisions. Nineteen took place on the streets, nineteen inside homes, six at apartment complexes, ten at businesses, two at a motorcycle club, eight in the front yards of houses, and one at a city park. Forty were reported in the West Precinct, twelve in the East Precinct, five in the South Precinct and six in the North Precinct. Four incidents resulted from love triangles, nine originated as domestic arguments, eight occurred during robberies, two occurred following drug transactions, six were part of ongoing disputes, one arose from accidentally knocking a motorcycle over, one started as a dispute during a game, two were carried out by a disgruntled former coworker, three were the result of reckless driving, and one was the result of a stray gunshot. Fifty-two victims were male and eleven were female.

Listing by date

  1. January 1: Desmond Bias, 36, was shot to death at 3212 Wesley Avenue in Germania Park (map) following a domestic dispute between two couples which originated in Midfield. A suspect was taken into custody at the scene, but officials determined that the shooting was justifiable and filed no charges. (report)
  2. January 11: Osha Antonio Dale, 19, also called Osha Blackmon, was killed in a head-on collision at the intersection of Princeton Parkway and 4th Avenue West in Southwest Birmingham (map). Gary Wayne Pruitt, Jr, the driver of a car that sped through the stop sign, was arrested and charged with murder. (report)
  3. January 21: Derrick Green, 27, was found shot to death on the sidewalk on the 2900 block of Avenue T in Ensley (map) following a shootout suspected to have erupted from a drug deal. Another person, also wounded, was later admitted to Princeton Baptist Medical Center for treatment. Investigators determined that the fatal shot was fired in self defense and filed no charges (report)
  4. March 1: Harold Eugene Davis, 34, was shot to death and another man wounded in the 900 block of Erie Street in Wylam (map). Demarques King and Henry "Ra Ra" Toles left the scene in a burgundy Toyota Camry with a white door. After questioning, it was determined that Toles had fired in self-defense and no charges were filed. Toles was shot to death in 2015. (report)
  5. March 9: Timothy Lamar Austin, 23, was shot to death on the 900 block of 17th Street Southwest near Harrison Park. The suspect fled in a silver Chevrolet Malibu. No arrest. (report)
  6. March 9: Darius Marquez Moore, 23, was shot to death while sitting in his Ford Explorer in his grandfather's yard on the 6100 block of Blocton Avenue near Bessemer Super Highway. A suspect fired another shot toward the house, then fled on foot. Tyree Law was arrested a few days later and charged with capital murder. (report)
  7. March 21: Victor Swanson, 23, was shot to death on 66th Court Way South near Joppa Avenue in Gate City in an apparent disagreement over a woman. DeAnthony Thomas was taken into custody at the scene and charged with murder. (report)
  8. March 22: Tyrone Hampton, 26, was stabbed to death during an argument over a woman on the 300 Block of 14th Street Ensley (map). William Hood was arrested and charged with manslaughter. He testified that he had stabbed his friend in self-defense and was found not guilty. (report)
  9. April 1: James Butler Redmon, 27, was shot to death on the 1700 block of 32nd Place North in Norwood Bottoms (map). Tavares Cortez Taylor was taken into custody at the scene and later charged with murder. The shooting was apparently part of a domestic dispute. A grand jury failed to indict in 2015 and the charge was dismissed. (report)
  10. April 5: Cha Ya Anders, 63, was found shot to death following an apparent robbery in her store, Ebony Beauty Supply, at 2913 27th Street North in North Birmingham (map). Bianca Holman was arrested and charged with capital murder and first degree robbery. She pleaded guilty to felony murder in exchange for a 25-year sentence, handed down by judge Tracie Todd. (report)
  11. April 6: Patricia McCain, 61, was found dead inside a plastic storage bin outside the Chateau Terrace Condominiums at 1540 15th Street South (map). Charles Jordan, who shared an apartment with her at Chateau Terrace, was arrested and charged with murder. He was convicted at trial in Bill Cole's court in September 2016 and sentenced to serve 26 years in prison. (report)
  12. April 24: Ladarius Thomas, 19, died at UAB Hospital from wounds suffered in a shooting two days earlier at the Devonshire Place apartments off Sunhill Road in Sun Valley (map). A shootout with another male began when their respective girlfriends got into a fight. Devon Brown of Madison was arrested for a separate incident and the handgun he was carrying matched the weapon used to shoot Thomas. He was charged with murder. (report)
  13. April 25: Dekova Jemille "Doc" Harris, 36, was shot to death along with a female victim at a house on the 1300 block of 57th Place Ensley (map). Dewayne Barnes and Jermaine "Lil Jay" Tolbert were charged with capital murder. A confidential informant told investigators that they were hired to target Harris as retribution for the September 2013 murder of Nicholas Perez. (report)
  14. April 25: Sharday Ware, 27, was found alongside Harris.
  15. April 26: Clarence Harris Jr, 37, was shot to death on the 5600 block of Aster Avenue in Roosevelt City just after midnight (map). Walter Lee Rhone Jr, who had been freed from a life sentence for the 1998 murder of Jerry Lewis Hall due to juror misconduct, was charged with murder, but was convicted on the lesser charge of manslaughter after a jury determined that Rhone did not intend to kill. He was sentenced to serve 25 years in prison. Another man, Tavaris Moore, was initially charged with hindering prosecution, but it was later dismissed. (report)
  16. April 28: Jamal Kree Richburg, 19, was shot during an altercation on the 1700 block of 4th Avenue West. He was driven to Princeton Baptist Medical Center and then transferred to UAB Hospital where he later died. Deontese Benson was arrested in June and charged with murder. (report)
  17. May 2: Kerry Delano Hardy, 46, was found shot to death in an automobile in the alley between Carol Street and Barbee Street off Wenonah Road in East Brownville. No arrest. (report)
  18. May 9: Jeffery Juantez Hines, 24, was shot outside his ex-girlfriend's house on the 200 block of 16th Place Southwest and died after being transported to Princeton Baptist Medical Center by his brother. Suspect Melvin Anthony Burks was charged with murder. He surrendered to police on May 27. The charges against him were dismissed by Judge Tommy Nail in 2016 after the girlfriend could not be found to testify. (report)
  19. May 9: Devante KyShon "Red Man" Hinds, 21, was shot to death by a Jefferson County Sheriff's Deputy in the Wal-Mart parking lot off Parkway East. Hinds was allegedly involved in a heroin deal and attempted to run over the deputy before he was shot. The Jefferson County District Attorney is reviewing the case. (report)
  20. May 9: Denetria Leonice Johnson, 36, was killed in an auto collision on the 5400 block of East Lake Boulevard. Cordell Wade, a convicted robber released from prison in September 2013, was charged with manslaughter based on evidence that he was driving under the influence and was on the wrong side of the road. He pleaded guilty with no agreement from prosecutors in Judge Laura Petro's court and was given a 15-year split sentence with three years to serve. (report)
  21. May 10: Jonathan Asuzu, a security guard at the Foxx Trap gentlemen's club at 400 2nd Avenue North, fired at another security guard, Brandon Cephus. An off-duty Birmingham Police Department officer who was also working security attempted to break up the fight before Asuzu fired at Cephus. He then shot and killed Asuzu. The club had opened under a Judge's restraining order following a May 6 Birmingham City Council vote to revoke its business license. (report)
  22. May 11: Keary Hollis, an off-duty Birmingham Police Department West Precinct officer, was shot to death after knocking over another man's motorcycle with his car at the Bush Hill Quick Stop on the 2500 block of Bush Boulevard. Patrick Johnson was arrested hours later and charged with capital murder. His initial prosecution resulted in a mistrial in May 2015. He was convicted on retrial of felony murder on October of that year and sentenced to life in prison by Judge Clyde Jones. That conviction was upheld by the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals in March 2018. (report)
  23. May 17: James Farentino Madden, 41, was found shot to death on the 1200 block of Lawson Road. No arrest. (report)
  24. May 20: Christopher George Handley, 29, was found shot to death in an alley behind his grandmother's house on the 1500 block of Pearson Avenue Southwest. No arrest. (report)
  25. June 2: Jessie Taylor, 69, was shot to death in the lobby of McMillon Estates on 57th Street in Ensley. Willie Bell, a former boyfriend, killed her in an apparent jealous rage, then returned to his apartment and shot himself before police arrived. (report)
  26. June 6: Stephanie Grigsby Davis, 55, was shot to death by her husband while working in the Management Information Systems Building at Glenwood Autism and Behavioral Health Center off Sicard Hollow Road in the Overton neighborhood. Her husband, James Davis, carjacked another person and forced them to drive to Jack's in Irondale, where the victim fled. Irondale police captured him on foot on the 1800 block of Montclair Road. He was convicted of murder and kidnapping in Judge Virginia Vinson's court in March 2016 and given two concurrent life sentences. (report)
  27. June 6: James Edward Walters, 32, was found shot to death inside his car at an apartment complex on the 4400 block of 5th Avenue South across from Birmingham Fire Station No. 10/22. No arrest. (report)
  28. June 14: Michael Parker, 40, was shot to death on the front porch of a house on the 2600 block of Avenue D. Isaac Carr, who had been using drugs with Parker before their argument, was arrested at the scene and later charged. (report)
  29. June 15: Arthur Lee Mills, 53, was shot to death while attempting to stop a burglary at his neighbor's house at 1808 1808 3rd Place Southwest in the Woodland Park neighborhood. The neighbor, Juliette Lockett, died a month later from a heart attack that family members attribute to the stress of the crime. Mills exchanged fire with the suspects who fled in a previously-stolen Hyundai Sonata and Lockett's Cadillac CTS. Aronde Samuels, Davarious McGee, and Freddrious Lamar Nelson were arrested and charged with capital murder. Because Lockett was related to a Jefferson County Circuit Court judge, Clay County Circuit Judge John Rochester was appointed to preside at their trials. Samuels pleaded guilty to felony murder and was sentenced to serve 20 years in prison. McGee was convicted at trial of felony murder. (report)
  30. July 7: Joseph Elijah Bell, 36, was killed on his way to work when a Ford F-150 veered into oncoming traffic and hit his Buick Lucerne head on. Edgardo Hernandez Gutierrez, who was driving under the influence of alcohol, was arrested in May 2015 and indicted by a grand jury in April 2016 on charges of reckless manslaughter. (report)
  31. July 20: Shaun Bishop, 43, died at UAB Hospital from a gunshot wound to the leg. He was found on the 400 block of 37th Avenue West. No arrest. (report)
  32. July 25: Jake Nelson Jr, 37, was found with gunshot wounds and lacerations on the street on the 1200 block of Pineview Road in Green Acres. He had been shot while trying to break into or flee a house, and investigators ruled that the shooting was justified. (report)
  33. July 27: Ashley Shanae Gunn, 26, was shot to death in an assault that also left two others injured on the 1600 block of Avenue I Ensley. Michael Brent Moorer was arrested and charged with murder, but prosecutors were unable to secure testimony from witnesses at trial and requested that Judge Teresa Pulliam dismiss the charges without prejudice. (report)
  34. August 13: Angela Marie McCall, 34, was killed by a car that jumped the curb while she was walking on the sidewalk on the 9500 block of Parkway East. Sylvester Corderyl Taylor was named as a suspect and surrendered to police. He pleaded guilty to reckless manslaughter and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. In 2020 Taylor was arrested and charged with capital murder for the death of a 2-year-old boy left in his care. (report)
  35. August 23: Cornigel Lafayette Murray, 20, was found fatally shot outside the Kangaroo Express store at 301 Robert Jemison Road after a fight apparently provoked by public urination. William Leigh Oliver, who called 911 from the scene to report shooting a man in self defense, was charged with manslaughter. The charge was dismissed by Judge Katrina Ross for lack of probable cause. (report)
  36. August 29: Donald Billups, Jr, 50, was found dead inside a burning house on the 3000 block of 1st Place West in Hooper City. He was reportedly living in the house, though it lacked windows and utilities. He was found with stab wounds to the chest. Raymond Cotton, Jr was arrested in January 2015 and charged with murder. (report)
  37. August 29: McDaniel Watson, 50, was shot in the head during an attempted robbery at George Ward Park and died later at UAB Hospital. Her car was stolen and later recovered. No arrest (report)
  38. August 30: Linda Allbritton, 71, was stabbed to death during an apparent robbery at her apartment at Four Winds East at 619 39th Street South in Forest Park-South Avondale. Her car was found on the 4000 block of 3rd Avenue South near the home of Jeffery Justice, a man who had helped Allbritton capture stray cats. He had been seen by a witness driving the car and had the keys in his possession when he was arrested. He and another suspect, Gustavius Brown, a former roommate of Justice's, are believed to have robbed her to fund a week-long crack binge. Both were initially charged with capital murder. DNA test results in August 2015 pointed to Brown as the actual assailant and could not substantiate the charges against Justice. Most of the charges against Justice were dropped. He pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property and was sentenced to time served. Brown pleaded guilty to felony murder in September 2016 and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. In January 2020 a jury found the YWCA, which owned the complex, liable for failing to recognize ongoing criminal activity and protect their tenants, and awarded Allbritton's estate a $10 million penalty. (report)
  39. August 30: Wilbert Hawkins, 47, was shot to death during a gunfight outside the Showstoppers Motorcycle Club on Coosa Street. James Edward Armstrong III was arrested in Rockdale County, Georgia and charged with capital murder. He was acquitted at trial in November 2016. (report
  40. August 30: Stevens Bryon Hicks, 48, was shot during the same gunfight and died later at UAB Hospital.
  41. September 2: Cartez Juan Woolen, 38, was assaulted when he stepped outside a house on the 1500 block of 53rd Street in the Central Park neighborhood. Two cars were seen fleeing the scene. No arrest. (report)
  42. September 3: Latrell Hines, 23, was shot in the chest after stepping out onto the front porch of a house on the 200 block of 4th Terrace North in Smithfield. The suspect left the scene in a dark-colored car. No arrest. (report)
  43. September 4: Marvin Waller, 22, was shot in the chest from an SUV while standing outside an apartment on the 1600 block of Jefferson Avenue in Southwest Birmingham. No arrest. (report)
  44. September 4: Barry Davis, 51, was found stabbed to death in his apartment on the 100 block of 6th Avenue South in Titusville. His roommate, Willie James Wynn, was arrested and charged with murder. His trial is scheduled for July 2016. (report)
  45. September 6: An unnamed male was shot when he entered a bedroom where his ex-girlfriend and another male were sleeping at a house on Beta Street. Both men were wounded in the ensuing shootout. The other man was taken into custody pending formal charges. (report)
  46. September 14: Israel Gervacio Velavquez, 35, died at UAB Hospital after being shot on the 1500 block of Bessemer Road following a fight at Club Tijuana. No arrest. (report)
  47. September 19: Joeshedrick Sirrome Jones, 36, was shot during an argument near the intersection of 4th Terrace and 6th Street North in Smithfield and pronounced dead later at UAB Hospital. Theo Williams was brought before a grand jury and testified about threats made toward him by Jones, who was awaiting trial on an attempted murder charge. No indictment was returned and no charges will be filed. Prosecutors subsequently ruled that the homicide was justifiable. (report)
  48. September 23: Brian Callans, 46, was one of two people killed at a warehouse near the UPS Customer Center at 4601 Inglenook Lane by a recently terminated employee, Joe Tesney, who then shot and killed himself. (report)
  49. September 23: Doug Hutcheson, 33, was the second of two people killed in the UPS warehouse shooting.
  50. October 24: Ladarrius Dejuan Jones, 22, was shot during a dice game on the 3400 block of Boise Avenue in the Green Acres neighborhood. Jeremy Cox was arrested and charged with murder. (report)
  51. October 27: Warren Adams III, 39, died at Princeton Baptist Medical Center after being shot during a robbery at his home on the 700 block of 2nd Street Southwest. His white 2008 Pontiac G5 sedan was stolen by one of the shooters. Antonio Jones was arrested and charged with capital murder. A second suspect is sought. (report)
  52. November 2: Raphael Vonzelle West, 28, was found dead on the street on the 5400 block of Avenue I Ensley following an apparent argument over a woman. After investigation, the shooting was ruled to have been justified. (report)
  53. November 3: William Jerald Bellamy, 35, was shot to death during an attempted robbery in the parking lot of the Triple S convenience store at 1804 24th Street Southwest. The suspects fled in a metallic orange Mercury Grand Marquis. No arrest. (report)
  54. November 9: Vincent Perez Chancellor, 26, was fatally wounded while exchanging gunfire with a man attempting to rob him outside the Platinum Club at 821 2nd Avenue North. One suspect, Stevin Ra Dunning, was also wounded and was taken to UAB Hospital for treatment. Dunning and Roderick Robinson were both charged with murder, but the case against Robinson was dismissed. Dunning was convicted of capital murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. His conviction was upheld by the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals in August 2018. (report)
  55. November 20: An unnamed male, 19, was found with a gunshot wound to the head on the 1800 block of Laurel Avenue in Powderly. He was taken to UAB Hospital and later pronounced dead. (report)
  56. November 24: Franquita Cunningham Austin, 49, died at UAB Hospital from injuries sustained when she was struck by a stray bullet while visiting a friend's apartment on the 100 block of 5th Avenue Southwest after midnight Halloween night. The shot was fired during an argument between two men in the parking lot. No arrest. (report)
  57. November 29: An unnamed woman was stabbed to death on the 500 block of 11th Street Southwest. Police responding to a domestic disturbance call were led to the scene by the victim's boyfriend, who was taken into custody. (report)
  58. December 9: Koiderrius Lamont Bedgood, 21, was found shot to death on the 8500 block of 2nd Avenue North following a reported pistol-whipping near 17th Street and 13th Avenue North in Fountain Heights. No arrest. (report)
  59. December 9: Quion Montez Lawson, 19, was found shot to death on the 4200 block of 11th Avenue in Wylam following an argument over an unpaid debt. No arrest. (report)
  60. December 12: Derrick Bailey, 35, was shot to death at a house at 3166 31st Avenue North in Collegeville. The victim apparently came to defend his ex-wife and their sons against an assault by her current boyfriend. Odell Marzette Allen was indicted on a murder charge in August 2015, but claimed self-defense and was acquitted at trial in Teresa Pulliam's court in September 2016. He still faces domestic violence charges related to the incident. (report)
  61. December 15: Ladarryl Tyrone Pickens, 20, was shot to death during an argument inside a home on the 6800 block of 5th Terrace North in Wahouma. Several people were taken into custody at the scene for questioning. Gennorra Dewayne Ridgel was charged with the murder. Though he initiated the confrontation with Pickens, Ridgel pleaded self-defense at trial before Judge Bill Cole's court. The jury deadlocked and Cole declared a mistrial. (report)
  62. December 19: Walter Cook, 42, died at Princeton Hospital from injuries sustained in a December 10 shooting in Powderly. (report)
  63. December 21: Najeh Masaeid, 63, a delivery driver for Domino's Pizza in Cahaba Heights, was killed in an apparent robbery at the District at the Summit apartments off Summit Boulevard. He was making a delivery to apartment 924, which turned out to be vacant and was found bludgeoned to death in the breezeway with the pizzas in a warming bag nearby. Corey Arrington Jr, a resident at the complex, was charged with capital murder in Masaeid's death and with third-degree robbery in another incident involving a pizza delivery driver. He pleaded guilty to felony murder and to the robbery charge and was sentenced to 20 years. (report)

Responses

The murder of K. D. Hardy, a well-known motivational speaker who had turned away from crime, prompted the Birmingham City Council to pass a resolution of condolence, and for Councilman Jay Roberson to promise that, "[w]e're going to find out who did this senseless act to Kerry and we're going to make sure that justice is served."

The spate of homicides occurring over the Labor Day weekend and following days alarmed residents and some city officials.

See also

References

  • Robinson, Carol (March 7, 2014) "3 for 3: All of Birmingham's 2014 slayings ruled justifiable." The Birmingham News
  • Bryant, Joseph D. (May 6, 2014) "Dismay, sadness outrage: Birmingham Council mourns violent death of motivational speaker." The Birmingham News
  • Robinson, Carol (July 17, 2014) "Safer city? Birmingham on track to end year with fewest murders since 1950s." The Birmingham News
  • Robinson, Carol (September 2, 2014) "Birmingham police chief says homicide numbers still down for year despite 'horrific holiday weekend'." The Birmingham News
  • Garrison, Greg (September 8, 2014) "Is Birmingham really dangerous? Sociologists who study urban crime say perception battles reality." The Birmingham News
  • Robinson, Carol (January 1, 2015) "Birmingham's 2014 homicide total among lowest in decades." The Birmingham News
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