alabama | My Crime Library

Jason Osborn Alabama Death Row

Jason Osborn was sentenced to death by the State of Alabama for a murder following a robbery. According to court documents Jason Osborn would rob the victim Ricardo Dwayne Brown of money and drugs. Jason Osborn would then runover Ricardo Dwayne Brown with his vehicle and left him to die. Someone would find Ricardo Dwayne Brown unconscious on the street and he would be rushed to the hospital however he would die from his injuries. Jason Osborn would be arrested and charged with capital murder and robbery. Jason Osborn would be convicted and sentenced to death.

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A man was convicted of capital murder on Tuesday in connection with a hit-and-run death during a robbery in 2018.

Jason Michael Osborn, 44, was found guilty of killing Ricardo Dwayne Brown during a hit-and-run robbery on October 28, 2018. Osborn was arrested on December 19, 2020, following a Morgan County grand jury indictment.

On Wednesday, a jury deliberated for about an hour before returning a verdict for the death penalty. Judge Waters imposed the sentence that afternoon.

In 2018, Decatur Police found Brown lying unconscious on 12th Avenue. He was rushed to the hospital but later died from his injuries. It was investigators who determined that Brown had been a victim of a hit-and-run.

Osborn was identified as the driver of the vehicle that struck Brown after detectives said they interviewed several witnesses. Detectives also found Osborn had robbed Brown of money and drugs before allegedly hitting him with the vehicle and driving away.

The trial began Monday, February 6, and concluded on Tuesday. The District Attorney’s Office confirmed the jury had the case for less than an hour before rendering the verdict

The trial now enters the sentencing phase, where the jury will decide if Osborn will receive the death penalty or a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

https://whnt.com/news/decatur/jason-osborn-convicted-of-2018-capital-murder-in-decatur/

Jason Osborn Other News

A Decatur man has been sentenced to death for a 2018 hit-and-run murder.

Jason Michael Osborn, 44, received the sentence from Judge Shelly Slate Water this afternoon following his conviction for capital murder. The jury earlier recommended the death penalty.

Osborn was arrested in September 2019 for the murder of Ricardo Brown, which occurred on Oct. 28, 2018.

Brown was found by Decatur police in a roadway at 407 12th Ave. N.W., unresponsive and bleeding from the head. He later died at Decatur Morgan Hospital.

Police months later arrested Osborn, saying multiple witnesses tied him to the killing. Police and prosecutors said Osborn robbed Brown for money and drugs prior to striking him with his vehicle and fleeing.

“We are pleased that Mr. Brown’s family was able to receive justice in this case, and get closure after several years,” Assistant District Attorney Joe Lewis said

https://www.al.com/news/huntsville/2023/02/alabama-man-sentenced-to-death-for-2018-hit-and-run-murder.html

William Marshall Dies On Alabama Death Row

William Marshall who was on Alabama death row for a murder that took place in 2004 has died. According to initial reports William Marshall died in physical distress however his cause of death is not immediately known. William Marshall was sentenced to death for the kidnapping and murder of his stepdaughter Alicia Nicole Bentley who was fifteen years old at the time of her death.

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A man sitting on Alabama Death Row died Sunday after being in “physical distress,” according to a prison spokesperson.

William Marshall, 58, was sentenced to death in 2005 after being convicted of capital murder in Jefferson County for killing his stepdaughter, Alicia Nicole Bentley, in 2004. Alicia was 15 years old.

He was being held on the state’s death row, located inside William C. Holman Correctional Facility

Marshallwas taken to a hospital near Atmore, where Holman is located, “following a report of physical distress,” said Alabama Department of Corrections spokesperson Kelly Betts. He was then transported to a hospital in Dothan after medical staff in Atmore determined he needed a higher level of care.

“His condition deteriorated and he became unresponsive. Staff was unable to revive him, and he was pronounced deceased,” Betts said. She added that Marshall “had suffered from multiple ongoing health issues.”

The ADOC Law Enforcement Services Division is investigating Marshall’s death.

https://www.al.com/news/2023/02/alabama-death-row-inmate-dies-in-prison-cause-of-death-under-investigation.html

Lamar and Ruth Vickerstaff Arrested In Baby Jane Doe Murder

Lamar and Ruth Vickerstaff have been arrested in Florida in connection to the murder of Opelika Baby Jane Doe who was later identified as Amore Joveah Wiggins. The body of Amore Joveah Wiggins was found in Alabama in 2012 in a case that grabbed the Nation’s attention and went unsolved for eleven years. Authorities were finally able to tie Amore Joveah Wiggins father Lamar Vickerstaff to the murder. Ruth Vickerstaff who is the stepmother of the little girl has been charged with failure to report a missing child. Lamar Vickerstaff faces charges of felony murder, aggravated child abuse and failure to report a missing child

Lamar and Ruth Vickerstaff More News

A couple were arrested in Jacksonville on Tuesday in connection with a formerly unidentified girl found dead in Alabama in 2012.

The girl, formerly known as Opelika Baby Jane Doe, was identified as Amore Joveah Wiggins, according to the Opelika Police Department.

Lamar Vickerstaff, who is Amore’s biological father, is being charged with felony murder.

Ruth Vickerstaff, who is Amore’s stepmother, is charged with failure to report a missing child.

They are currently being held in the Duval County Jail pending extradition to Lee County, Ala.

January 28, 2012: Opelika Police responded to Brookhaven Trailer Park, located at 1775 Hurst Street in Opelika, AL, where skeletal remains were found. A skull was located in the yard of a residence while the majority of the bones were located only a few feet into the wood line behind a trailer and the adjacent lot.

During the search of the area, a pink child’s shirt and a small bundle of curly hair were also recovered. The remains were sent to the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Va., where a medical examination was performed. The report stated that the remains were of a black female likely between 4-7 years of age who became affectionately known to the community as Baby Jane Doe.

An autopsy was performed and notated fractures to her skull, arms, legs, shoulders, and ribs; totaling more than 15 individual fractures that were attributed to blunt force trauma. These injuries all had evidence of healing and occurred sometime prior to her death. In addition, the Medical Examiner suggested that Jane Doe may have been malnourished and blind in her left eye due to a fracture in her eye socket. Jane Doe’s death was determined to be a homicide and believed to have occurred between the summer of 2010 to 2011.

January 2022: DNA was further extracted in attempts to retrieve DNA suitable for genealogy testing. Othram Labs successfully extracted DNA from the scalp and Astrea Labs from the hair. A comprehensive genealogical profile was built from Othram’s DNA extract and the profile was uploaded to a DNA database. Once uploaded, an experienced genealogist who works closely with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) was assigned the case. Dr. Barbara Rae-Venter with Firebird Forensics Group used the genealogical profile to identify relatives and develop investigative leads.

October 2022: Jane Doe’s father was identified as 50-year-old Lamar Vickerstaff Jr. Vickerstaff was born and raised in Opelika, Ala. before enlisting in the U.S. Navy. During his lengthy Navy career, he resided in Norfolk, Va., Honolulu, Hawaii and Jacksonville.

December 2022: Opelika Detectives traveled to Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, where Mr. Vickerstaff is currently stationed, to notify him of his daughter’s death. During the meeting, Vickerstaff did not provide investigators with any information on the identity of Jane Doe. Detectives then met with Vickerstaff’s wife, Ruth Vickerstaff. Ruth Vickerstaff, who has been married to Lamar since May of 2006, advised detectives she did not know his daughter or who may be the mother of Jane Doe.

December 2022: Dr. Rae-Venter was able to narrow down the results of the child’s mother to a woman living in Maryland. Detectives met with 37-year-old Sherry Wiggins who confirmed she was the biological mother of Jane Doe. Wiggins is a native of Norfolk, Va. and stated she gave birth to a baby girl named Amore Joveah Wiggins in January 2006. Ms. Wiggins provided documentation showing that Lamar and Ruth Vickerstaff obtained legal and physical custody of her daughter in 2009, at which time her visitation with Amore was suspended. Wiggins also provided documents indicating that she has continuously paid child support to Lamar Vickerstaff since 2009.

Detectives reached out to the school boards and pediatric clinics in several states where Lamar and Ruth Vickerstaff resided and determined that Amore was never enrolled in school nor was, she reported as a missing person. With this information, Opelika detectives met with the Lee County District Attorney’s Office to determine charges related to the death of Amore Wiggins.

Anyone with any information on Lamar and Ruth Vickerstaff’s relationship with Amore Wiggins and her time spent in Opelika, Ala. is asked to contact the Opelika Police Department Detective Division at (334) 705-5220 or the Secret Witness Hotline at (334) 745-8665. Tips can be submitted through the Opelika Police Mobile App and tipsters can remain anonymous.

https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/duval-county/father-stepmother-arrested-jacksonville-connection-with-baby-jane-doe-death-alabama/KJXHAG5PPZBAVJI2OYS4R6SWXE/

Krystal Pinkins and Yasmine Hider Charged With Murder

Krystal Pinkins and Yasmine Hider who have been charged with murder following a robbery last summer. According to police reports Krystal Pinkins who is from Memphis Tennessee and Yasmine Hider (right photo) who is from Edmond Oklahoma were attempting to rob a Florida couple at the Talladega National Forest which ended with 22-year-old Adam Simjee dead from a single gunshot. Now Krystal Pinkins and Yasmine Hider have been charged with one count each of murder, kidnapping, robbery, and unlawful use of a firearm during a crime of violence. It should be noted that they have been charged at the Federal level as the crime allegedly took place in a National forest.

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A federal grand jury indicted two women this week in separate, but related, indictments after a Florida man was shot and killed after attempted robbery near Cheaha State Park.

The four-count indictments filed in U.S. District Court charged 20-year-old Yasmine Marie Adel Hider of Edmond, Oklahoma, and 36-year-old Krystal Diane Pinkins of Memphis, Tennessee, with murder, kidnapping, robbery, and unlawful use of a firearm during a crime of violence arising out of events that occurred in the Talladega National Forest on Aug. 14, 2022.

According to authorities, the maximum penalty for murder, kidnapping, and unlawful use of a firearm during a crime of violence is life in prison.

The maximum penalty for robbery is 15 years in prison

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Cross and John B. Felton are prosecuting the case.

https://www.wbrc.com/2022/12/01/2-people-indicted-charges-after-florida-man-shot-killed-after-attempted-robbery-near-cheaha-state-park/

Krystal Pinkins and Yasmine Hider Other News

Two women in Alabama have been indicted for allegedly shooting and killing a college student from Florida while robbing him and his girlfriend at gunpoint this summer in the Talladega National Forest.

A federal grand jury in Birmingham returned a true bill indicting Yasmine Marie Adel Hider, 20, of Edmond, Oklahoma, and Krystal Pinkins, 36, of Memphis, Tennessee, on one count each of murder, kidnapping, robbery, and unlawful use of a firearm during a crime of violence, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

The alleged incident took place on August 14, 2022 and left 22-year-old Adam Simjee dead after he sustained a single gunshot wound. According to federal charging documents, Hider is charged with actually firing the shot that killed Simjee, while Krystal Pinkins is charged with malice aforethought aiding and abetting.

The charging documents state that the two defendants did “unlawfully seize, confine, inveigle, kidnap, abduct, and carry away two persons” — identified by authorities as Simjee and and his girlfriend, 20-year-old Mikayla Paulus — for their own “benefit and purpose.”

While the details of what allegedly transpired in the national park are largely left out of the court documents, Paulus spoke with AL.com about the traumatic experience.

Paulus reportedly said that she and Simjee were hiking in Cheaha State Park in Clay County in the morning when Hider and Pinkins flagged them down under the guise of having car trouble.

“I called my dad (to ask for car repair advice), watched some YouTube videos and tried to fix car. When we realized it couldn’t be fixed, I asked if she needed anything else,” Paulus reportedly said. “She (Hider) pulled a gun, said put your hands up, walk into the woods and drop your phone and keys.”

Referring to Simjee as a “proud supporter of the Second Amendment,” Paulus reportedly said that he had a handgun in his waistband “the whole time,” and even remarked that the two women were suspicious, saying, “this is how people get robbed.”

Paulus reportedly recalled that Hider then demanded the couple hand over their cell phones, unlocking codes, and banking information.

“When she (Hider) dropped her guard for a second, and lowered her gun for a second, he pulled out his gun and told her to get on the ground,” Paulus reportedly told the news outlet. “She started messing with her gun and it was jamming but they shot at each other.”

Hider reportedly sustained three gunshot wounds — one of which shattered her femur — but survived. Simjee sustained a single gunshot wound that ultimately proved fatal.

As the shots rang out, Krystal Pinkins reportedly ran into the woods. Paulus reportedly grabbed one of the phones and called the police. She said she performed chest compressions on Simjee as she waited for officers to arrive, but he succumbed to his wound a short while later.

Officers reportedly located Krystal Pinkins a short distance away at a “base camp” of tents. When they made contact, her 5-year-old son reportedly ran out of a wooded area wielding a loaded shotgun. However, the child put the weapon down after reaching his mother and she was reportedly taken into custody without further incident.

The maximum penalty for murder, kidnapping, and unlawful use of a firearm during a crime of violence is life in prison while the maximum penalty for robbery is 15 years in prison, per the DOJ.

The duo also faces state charges in Clay County where a judge reportedly placed a temporary gag order on everyone involved in the case.

Two Women Face Federal Charges After Kidnapping and Robbery of College Couple Left Boyfriend Dead: DOJ

Clifton Buchanan Arrested In Missing Girls Case

Clifton Buchanan has been arrested and charged after his four daughters were reported missing from Sylacauga Alabama. Yesterday an emergency order was released as police were trying to find 12-year-old Aaliyah Grace Buchanan, 9-year-old Isabella Jane Buchanan, 7-year-old Lacey Nicole Buchanan, and 2-year-old Gracelyn Hope Buchanan after police could not reach Clifton Buchanan. According to police the four girls were found safe in Georgia and Clifton Buchanan has been arrested and charged with Interference with custody.

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The father of four girls who were missing has been arrested and taken into custody, the Talladega County Sheriff’s Office reports.

Clifton Christopher Buchanan, 34, of Sylacauga was arrested in Etowah County Friday morning and charged with interference with custody. Buchanan’s arrest comes a day after the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency issued an Emergency Missing Child Alert for his four daughters:

Aaliyah Grace Buchanan, 12, who is 5′ 1″ tall, weighs 85 pounds, has blonde/strawberry blonde hair and green eyes.
Isabella Jane Buchanan, 9, who is 4′ 5″ tall, weighs 60 pounds, has brown hair and green eyes.
Lacey Nicole Buchanan, 7, who is 3′ 5″ tall, weighs 45 pounds, has brown hair and green eyes.
Gracelyn Hope Buchanan, 2, who is 3′ tall, weighs 35 pounds and has brown hair and green eyes.

Around 11:35 a.m. Thursday, the Talladega County Department of Human Resources notified the sheriff’s office that the four children were missing after DHR received a court order granting temporary custody and they were unable to make contact with the children’s’ father.

Buchanan is being held at the Talladega County Jail on no bond. His daughters were located safe in Clayton County, Georgia.

https://www.cbs42.com/news/crime/father-of-4-missing-talladega-county-girls-arrested/