January 2022 | Page 6 of 36 | My Crime Library

Joseph Smith Alabama Death Row

Joseph Smith was sentenced to death by the State of Alabama for a murder that took place during a robbery. According to court documents Joseph Smith would rob the man then proceeded to beat the man to death. Joseph Smith would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death

Joseph Smith 2022 Information

Inmate:	SMITH, JOSEPH CLIFTON
AIS:	0000Z646

Institution:	HOLMAN PRISON

Joseph Smith More News

On November 25, 1997, police discovered the badly beaten body of Durk Van Dam in his mud-bound Ford Ranger truck in a wooded area near Shipyard Road in Mobile County. Dr. Julia Goodin, a forensic pathologist for the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, testified that Van Dam died as a result of 35 different blunt-force injuries to his body. Van Dam had marks consistent with marks made by a saw on his neck, shoulder, and back; he also had a large hemorrhage beneath his scalp, brain swelling, multiple rib fractures, a collapsed lung, multiple abrasions to his head and knees, and defensive wounds on his hands. Dr. Goodin testified that the multiple rib fractures that caused one lung to collapse were probably the most immediate cause of death.

Smith gave two statements to the police. In the first statement he denied any involvement in the robbery-murder but said that he was with Larry Reid when Reid beat and robbed Van Dam. Smith denied taking anything from the victim. When police were questioning Reid, Smith repeatedly knocked on the interrogation room door and requested to talk to the officer who had taken his first statement. In his second statement Smith admitted that he and Reid had planned to rob Van Dam because they had been told that Van Dam was carrying $1,500 in cash. Smith said that he, Reid, and Van Dam left the Highway Host motel in Van Dam’s red truck on November 23, 1997. Van Dam was driving. Reid directed Van Dam, who had been drinking, to an isolated location. Once there, Reid began hitting Van Dam. He said that when Reid kicked Van Dam in the face he thought Van Dam was dead. Smith said that Van Dam then got up and Smith hit him on the head with his fist, kicked him in the ribs several times, threw a handsaw at him, and may have hit him with a hammer but he wasn’t entirely sure because he suffers from blackouts. Reid then got a power saw from the back of Van Dam’s truck, Smith said, and ran the saw against Van Dam’s neck. Smith held Van Dam down while Reid took the money from his pockets. Smith and Reid then attempted to move the truck, because they had planned to steal it, but it got stuck in the mud. Smith also admitted that he took the victim’s boots, because his shoes were wet, and that he took the victim’s tools. The two discussed where to take Van Dam’s body and Smith suggested that they take it to a nearby lake. However, they left the body, Smith said, under a mattress near Van Dam’s truck. Smith said that when they divided the money he got only $40 and Reid kept the rest, approximately $100. Smith also told police that he had just been released from custody on Friday-two days before the robbery-murder on Sunday.¹

Russell Harmon testified that on November 23, 1997, he went to the Highway Host motel and saw Reid and Smith. He said that Smith told him that they were going to rob Van Dam and asked if he wanted to join them. Harmon declined and left the motel. Later that day he went back to the motel to see if the two had been successful with their plans. He said that Smith told him that he had beaten the victim on the head and that he had cut him with a saw. On cross-examination he admitted that he could not swear that Smith was the one who said he had cut Van Dam in the back but that it could have been Reid who made this statement. However, on cross-examination Harmon reiterated that Smith told him that he “hit the man, beat the man-hit the man in the head and cut him.” (R. 340.) Harmon testified that Smith asked him to go with him to get the tools from where he had left them in the woods. He said that he went with Smith and that they got the tools and took them to a pawnshop-Smith received $200 for the tools. Harmon testified that he was currently in the county jail because his probation had been revoked.

M.A.² testified that she was living at Highway Host motel with her mother and sister at the time of Van Dam’s murder. She said that her sister, M., was dating Smith. M.A. testified that on November 23, 1997, she saw Smith, Reid, and Van Dam drive away from the motel in a red truck. She said that when Smith and Reid returned sometime later they were in a black car, Van Dam was not with them, and Smith had blood on his clothes. M.A. testified that Smith told her that he had hit, cut, and stabbed Van Dam in the back.

Patty Milbeck testified that she saw Smith, Reid, and Van Dam on the day of the robbery-murder. When they returned, she said, Van Dam was not with them and Smith appeared nervous. Smith told her that Van Dam had become angry and left. Milbeck stated that at the time of her trial testimony she was in jail because she failed to report to her probation officer.

Joey Warner, an employee of 24-Hour Pawn pawnshop, testified that on November 23, 1997, Smith pawned several tools including saws, drills, and a router. He was given $200 and he showed his Alabama Department of Corrections identification card as identification to pawn the tools. (Supp. R. 92.)

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/al-court-of-criminal-appeals/1096178.html

Why Is Joseph Smith On Death Row

Joseph Smith was sentenced to death for the murder of a store clerk

When Is Joseph Smith Execution

Joseph Smith execution has yet to be scheduled

Jerry Smith Alabama Death Row

Jerry Smith was sentenced to death by the State of Alabama for a shooting that left three people dead. According to court documents Jerry Smith would enter a drug house and open fire killing three people. Jerry Smith would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death

Jerry Smith 2022 Information

Inmate:	SMITH, JERRY JEROME
AIS:	0000Z634

Institution:	HOLMAN PRISON

Jerry Smith More News

In Smith VI, the Court of Criminal Appeals summarized the facts concerning the crime that was the basis of Smith’s conviction. Smith, a drug dealer, went to Flournoy’s residence in Dothan around 8:30 p.m. on October 19, 1996, to collect $1,500 Flournoy owed him for crack cocaine. Flournoy told Smith he did not have the money then, but he would have it later that night. Smith left, but later that night, Smith and his girlfriend returned to Flournoy’s residence. When they returned, Smith had a sawed-off .22-caliber rifle concealed under his shirt. Flournoy again said he did not have the money he owed Smith. Smith shot Flournoy, who was not armed, in the chest as Flournoy begged Smith not to shoot him. Smith then turned his weapon on the other occupants of the residence, none of whom was armed. He shot Helms six times in the chest as she tried to flee, and he shot Bennett in the head as he sat in a chair. Both died at the scene. Flournoy attempted to escape, but collapsed in his yard. He later died from the gunshot wound to his chest. Smith also attempted to shoot Derrick Gross, but the rifle jammed. As Smith and Gross wrestled with the rifle, Smith attempted to get a knife from his girlfriend, but Gross was able to escape. After the shootings, Smith fled the scene. He made arrangements for an acquaintance to hide the rifle, he changed clothes, and he attempted to hide from the police. He was apprehended the following morning at his father’s house. After being advised of his rights, he confessed to the murders. He also bragged to other inmates in the county jail that he would beat the capital-murder charge because of his mental condition, and he made statements that the murders were the result of a drug deal and that he intended to shoot everyone in Flournoy’s residence so there would be no witnesses to the murders.

At trial, Smith admitted shooting the three victims, but contended that he did not intend to kill them. He claimed that he was not “in his right mind” at the time of the shootings and that he just “snapped” because, he said, he had been on a binge, smoking crack cocaine and drinking alcohol; he was under duress because he owed his narcotics supplier $27,000, and the supplier had threatened to kill Smith’s mother if he did not get his money; and he was angry because Flournoy had called his girlfriend a “whore” and a “bitch.”

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/al-supreme-court/1542479.html

Why Is Jerry Smith On Death Row

Jerry Smith was sentenced to death for a triple murder

When Is Jerry Smith Execution

Jerry Smith execution has yet to be executed

Michael Powell Alabama Death Row

Michael Powell was sentenced to death by the State of Alabama for the murder of a man during a robbery. According to court documents Michael Powell would hold up a gas station clerk and in the process shoot and kill the clerk. Michael Powell would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death

Michael Powell 2022 Information

Inmate:	POWELL, MICHAEL ANTHONY
AIS:	0000Z815

Institution:	HOLMAN PRISON

Michael Powell More News

A man convicted of capital murder in the slaying of a gas station clerk who was killed during a robbery has been sentenced to death, authorities said.

Shelby County Circuit Judge Bill Bostick sentenced Michael Anthony Powell, 48, to die for the Oct. 30, 2016, gunshot killing of Tracy Algar, 54, who was shot to death while working at a store in Alabaster south of Birmingham, District Attorney Jill Lee said.

Jurors convicted Michael Powell in April following an eight-day trial and recommended the death sentence, news outlets reported.

Powell had been released from prison in 2015 after serving a 17-year term for robbery. During the hearing Monday, he told the judge he was innocent of killing Algar.

https://www.fox10tv.com/news/alabama/alabama-man-sentenced-to-die-in-fatal-gas-station-holdup/article_eb41332c-bd5f-11eb-bc16-cfd5b36f95eb.html

Michael Powell Other News

The man convicted in the 2016 shooting death of an Alabaster store clerk during a robbery has been sentenced to death.

Shelby County Circuit Judge Bill Bostick on Monday upheld the jury’s 11-1 recommendation that 48-year-old Michael Anthony Powell die for the execution-style killing of 54-year-old Tracy Latty Algar at the Alabaster convenience store where she was well-known and well-loved by her customers.

Monday was the first time in 10 years that someone has been sentenced to death in Shelby County. The last time happened in 2011 when Bart Wayne Johnson was sentenced to die for the 2009 killing of Pelham Police Officer Philip Davis during a traffic stop on I-65.

It was more than four years ago, on a Sunday morning, that Algar was shot to death in the bathroom of the Kirkland Chevron. Authorities said Algar was on her knees and shot in the top of her head. Roughly $260 were taken in the robbery.

Michael Powell was convicted of capital murder in late April after a trial that lasted more than a week. Alabaster police officials and members of Algar’s family were in the courtroom for Monday’s sentencing.

Taylor was also present in the courtroom for the sentencing. One of his attorney’s, Everett Wess, said Powell was also a victim, a victim of a disadvantaged childhood and a victim of the system. He said Powell should get life in prison.

“He would never ever be able to hurt another individual again,’’ Wess said. “He would never be able to get out of prison. It protects Michael, and it protects society.”

Asked if he had anything to say prior to sentencing, Powell said, “I still say, against all odds, I’m not guilty. Regardless of what verdict you give me, I’m going to stay being me and I’m going to fight. Regardless of what you do to me, I’m OK because I believe in the end I’m going to win. That’s all I’ve got to say.”

Prior to sentencing, Michael Powell slightly rocked back and forth, and occasionally shook his head in apparent disagreement with what as being said. He showed no emotion when the death sentence was handed down.

The judge said he disagreed with the defense assertions that Powell also was a victim. “As a matter of fact, the mitigation expert that I appointed to investigate Mr. Powell’s background, her own testimony refutes that notion,’’ Bostick said. “I took the liberty of drawing from a quote that struck me when she was testifying. (She) said, with regard to Mr. Powell, ‘He had the things that he needed. He just took things, and he didn’t need to.’ That continued not only from his youth but into his adulthood and ultimately, he took the life of Tracy Algar and he didn’t need to. Nothing changed from the time he was young. Mr. Powell, you took her life, and you didn’t need to.”

Bostick told Michael Powell that as a judge, he only has authority over what physically happens to him. “I have no jurisdiction, no authority over your soul. And that is the only aspect of your being that you remain in control of,’’ he said. “We’re all blessed to live in a nation that has a government and a constitution that recognizes every individual is free to believe or not to believe in a higher power.”

“Judging by the reading list that was introduced by your attorneys (in jail), it appears that you may be in a quest, seeking answers regarding that higher power. I want to tell you, Mr. Powell, that Miss Algar found her higher power,’’ Bostick said. “She found her answers in a God that offers all of us, including you, the opportunity to be forgiven of our sins, a God who sent His only son to live among us and to be executed by us and who allowed his son’s blood to be shed so that we might have everlasting life.”

“I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that Tracy now has that life,’’ Bostick said. “My hope for you is that if you ever pray to a higher power and seek forgiveness for, and redemption for, all of your sins including the one for which you have been convicted, that those prayers are answered.”

Algar, who only worked every third Sunday at the store, was killed not long after she got to work that Sunday morning. She was a dental lab technicians and working at the store only to earn extra money because her hours had been cut back. On that particular Sunday, she had volunteered to swap shifts with a co-worker who needed off.

The store opened at 9 a.m. and, sometime in the next couple of hours, police say, Powell entered, stole cash and then shot Algar to death. The slaying happened sometime between 9 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. A customer made the discovery about 11:15 a.m.

The cameras inside the store had not been working for some time, knocked out by lightning a long time ago, Algar’s family said. But, based on surveillance video from neighboring businesses, detectives Powell as a person of interest in the case and have been working around the clock to crack the case.

Michael Powell was seen in the area of the Chevron between 10:45 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. that Sunday. He was wearing a white shirt, dark pants and a black fedora. Authorities said he walked from his apartment to the Chevron and walked back home after the robbery and killing.

“All we know is that he just walked in there and killed her,’’ said one of Algar’s sisters, Lisa Jones, shortly after the slaying. “She closed her eyes and woke up with Jesus.”

In a 2016 interview with AL.com, family members described Algar as a shining light with a strong faith and a devotion to her family. Much of her time was spent in church-related activities – Bible study, the Welcome Outreach Team and Sisters of the Table. “She worshiped her God with such joy,’’ her mother said

“She loved uplifting gospel music. She would ask questions about the Bible and God, and when I didn’t have an answer for her, she would add it to her list to ask Jesus when she got to Heaven.”

About 11 years before her death, Algar suffered a stroke which somewhat affected her speech. It was something she was self-conscious about, but family members said her job at Kirkland Chevron restored her confidence because of daily interactions with the public.

“She loved her job,’’ her sister, Jones, said. “She was a very positive influence. She always tried to keep a smile on her face, especially with her customers. You could see a light shining through Tracy.”

During the penalty phase of Powell’s trial, held on April 29, prosecutors presented evidence that Powell was on parole at the time of the offense.

Powell was released from prison in 2015 after serving 17 years for robbery. Court records show Michael Powell was convicted of two counts of robbery and one count of escape in Covington County in southern Alabama in 1998.

He was sentenced to 20 years in prison for each of the three convictions – to be served concurrently – and went to prison on May 14, 1998. His release date was scheduled for April 4, 2018 but he was paroled on Oct. 1, 2015. He served 17 years, nine months and 21 days.

https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2021/05/death-sentence-for-man-convicted-in-execution-style-slaying-of-alabaster-store-clerk-during-a-2016-robbery.html

Why IS Michael Powell On Death Row

Michael Powell was sentenced to death for the murder of a store clerk

When Is Michael Powell Execution

Michael Powell execution has yet to be scheduled

James McGowan Alabama Death Row

James McGowan was sentenced to death by the State of Alabama for the beating deaths of an elderly couple. According to court documents James McGowan and an accomplice would beat to death an elderly couple with a hammer in order to rob them so they could buy more drugs. James McGowan would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death

James McGowan 2022 Information

Inmate:	MCGOWAN, JAMES WILLIAM
AIS:	0000Z602

Institution:	HOLMAN PRISON

James McGowan More News

A former Escambia County resident, serving three life sentences for her part in the crack cocaine-fueled 1994 murders of an Escambia County man and an elderly Conecuh County couple was denied parole for the fourth time during recent hearings by the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles.
On July 18, 1994, Dedree Ann Crane, 58, accompanied James William McGowan on a two-county search for the addictive drug, which court documents show they smoked nearly $500 worth over a period of several hours. Their search stretched from Castleberry into Evergreen and left the bodies of Barry Harper, Hiram E. Johnson and Mamie Lucille Johnson in its wake.
Crane told a jury in 1997 that McGowan picked her up at her parents’ house around noon, and the two smoked almost all of the $150 worth of crack he had with him. As their supply ran low, he purchased $50 more. She said she later pawned her ring for $20, with which they bought more crack.
The duo later went to Harper’s residence, and James McGowan concocted a story that persuaded Harper to give them $125, with which they bought more cocaine. After James Robert Pitts refused to give them money, they returned to Harper’s house. Crane testified that they procured what turned out to be the murder weapon while on the way there.
When they arrived, Crane distracted Harper while McGowan hit him in the head at least four times from behind with a hammer, mortally wounding him. The couple found $165 in their victim’s wallet and bought more crack with it.
Trial testimony shows that the duo then drove toward Evergreen, stopping at the Johnson home in the Antioch community on the way. When Johnson turned his back on McGowan, McGowan hit the 82-year-old man three times on top of his head with the hammer. Crane said she went outside and could see McGowan’s silhouette through the bedroom window as he raised the hammer and struck Johnson’s 79-year-old wife several times.
The duo, now $500 richer, headed for Evergreen, planning to buy more crack cocaine from a dealer there. After a brief but unnerving brush with Evergreen police, the couple drove to Slidell, Louisiana.
Crane said she persuaded McGowan to stop at a motel there, and she had the desk clerk call 911 to report that she was being held against her will. Slidell police arrived, arranged for Crane to telephone her mother and let McGowan go.
The Castleberry woman later gave several false statements to investigators before admitting to her part in the crime spree and leading them to where she had thrown the bloody hammer.
The case finally went to trial in 1997, and a jury recommended during the penalty phase that McGowan be sentenced to life in prison without chance of parole. The trial judge overrode the jury’s decision and ruled that McGowan, found guilty of two counts of capital murder, should be put to death for the grisly crimes.
He currently resides at Holman Correctional Facility, on Alabama’s Death Row.
Crane, who has served almost 24 years in the state prison system, agreed to testify against McGowan in exchange for the state not seeking the death penalty against her. She was eventually sentenced to three consecutive life sentences (with the chance of parole) and is currently housed at Birmingham Community Work Center.

Why Is James McGowan On Death Row

James McGowan was sentenced to death for the murders of an elderly couple

When Is James McGowan Execution

James McGowan execution has yet to be scheduled

Corey Maples Alabama Death Row

Corey Maples was sentenced to death by the State of Alabama for a double murder. According to court documents Corey Maples would rob an murder two people that he knew as they sat in a vehicle in his driveway in order to rob them of their money. Corey Maples would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death.

Corey Maples 2022 Information

Inmate:	MAPLES, COREY
AIS:	0000Z624

Institution:	HOLMAN PRISON

Corey Maples More News

“At some time in the late evening hours of Friday, July 7, 1995, or the early morning hours of Saturday, July 8, 1995, Stacy Alan Terry, Barry Dewayne Robinson II, and the Defendant, Corey Maples, arrived at the residence of the Defendant on Mud Tavern Road in Morgan County. All three of the young men were acquaintances. Mr. Terry, whose nickname was Twinky, and the Defendant had spent the evening of July 7 drinking, playing pool, and ‘riding around’ in Mr. Terry’s 1995 Camaro. Corey Maples and Mr. Terry had attended high school together until the Defendant dropped out his senior year. As evidenced by the testimony of family and friends, the two young men had spent a considerable amount of time together during the week preceding these events.

“Mr. Robinson was new to the area, but had known Mr. Terry and the Defendant for several months. Mr. Robinson asked Mr. Terry for a ride home from the pool hall where all three young men were playing pool.

“Once the three young men arrived at the home of the Defendant, Corey Maples, he left the car and went into the mobile home. The defendant picked up a .22 caliber rifle and walked back outside to the car where Mr. Terry and Mr. Robinson sat getting ready to leave. The Defendant walked to the driver’s side of the car and shot Mr. Terry twice in the head and then shot Mr. Robinson twice in the head.

“At some time around 1:00 a.m. on July 8, 1995, the Defendant’s half-brother, Daniel Maples, and his friend, Matt Shell, arrived at the residence on Mud Tavern Road and found the body of Stacy Terry lying in the driveway close to the trailer where the Defendant and his half-brother lived with their father and the Defendant’s stepmother.

“At some time around 9:00 p.m. on July 8, 1995, the Decatur police received a report of a body found in a creek commonly referred to as Mud Tavern Creek, one mile down the road from the Defendant’s residence. The body was identified as that of Barry Robinson II.

“During the ensuing investigation of the two young men’s murders, officers of the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department obtained information that implicated Corey Ross Maples in the killings of Mr. Terry and Mr. Robinson. The officers began to look for the Defendant and Mr. Terry’s missing Camaro with the personalized tag bearing the word ‘TWINK.’

“In the late evening of August 1, 1995, the Nashville Metropolitan Police Department received a telephone call from an individual who had spotted the Defendant at the Best Rest Motel off I-10 in Nashville. The individual had seen a picture of the Defendant and heard a description of the car from a local television station. Members of the Nashville Police Department apprehended the Defendant at the motel. The Defendant was then transported to the Nashville Metropolitan Police Department where he was held until members of the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department arrived. During the early morning hours of August 2, 1995, the Defendant gave Investigators Howard Battles and Byron Whitten of the Morgan County Sheriff’s office a statement of confession to the murders.

“Mr. Terry and Mr. Robinson died as a result of gunshot wounds to the head. Both young men were shot twice in the head. The medical examiner determined that each man’s death was instantaneous to the shots to the head. The wounds were consistent with an execution-type slaying. The evidence proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the Defendant shot both men. He was armed with a .22 caliber rifle which belonged to his father.

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/al-court-of-criminal-appeals/1078594.html

Why Is Corey Maples On Death Row

Corey Maples was sentenced to death for a double murder

When Is Corey Maples Execution

Corey Maples execution has yet to be scheduled