1981 Birmingham homicides

This is a List of Birmingham homicides in 1981. It includes homicide cases occurring within the city limits during the calendar year. Note that not all homicides are ultimately ruled to be murder in courts of law.

Birmingham had as many as 97 homicides in 1981. At the end of the year, the Birmingham Police Department acknowledged 94 murders, but said that some of those deaths had later been found to have resulted from natural causes. Many of those occurred during the month of December, prompting detective Al Wallace to complain, "My lord, everybody's been shot in December. With seven investigators working that many cases at one time, you don't do them proper."

Listing

1. January 6: Diane Elizabeth Casino, 33, was beaten to death at her apartment at 4264 4th Avenue South in Forest Park-South Avondale. Her infant son was present, but uninjured. (report)
2. January 13: William Edward Hanks Sr, 68, former president of Bama Foods, was found dead from an apparent hit-and-run on the 500 block of 3rd Avenue West in Graymont. He had no wallet or identification on him when found.
3. January 17: Terry Tucker and his wife, Myra, were abducted from a nightclub. He was left in the trunk of a car while his wife was raped at an apartment, and then driven to a secluded mining road in western Birmingham where they were both executed by shotgun. A scrap of a telephone bill that she tucked into her clothing at the apartment led police to the suspects. Jerry Godbolt, Carnel Jackson, and Wayne Agee were arrested and charged with murder. (link)
4. January 17: Terry Tucker was shot to death in the same incident.
5. January 24: William C. Heck, 67, was shot to death during a robbery at the Adult Shop at 415 19th Street North. (report)
6. September 15: John C. Parker, 72, a night watchman at the Lynn Strickland Tire Company, was shot to death with his own revolver in an altercation. He had apparently admitted someone to the business before the fight started. No arrest.
7. November 10: J. King Chandler III, 58, was shot to death at a red light in the downtown area. He was giving two men a ride home after a seminar at Faith College in North Birmingham. They got into an argument and one of the men got out of the car and shot him in the chest. Willie Mayes Mobley was charged with a lesser crime and sentenced to probation, but jailed later when he violated those terms.

References

• "Murders here show slight increase in '81" (January 1, 1982) Birmingham Post-Herald, p. C1

See also

• List of homicides in 1981