alabama | My Crime Library

Kenneth Smith Execution Scheduled For Tonight

Kenneth Smith is scheduled to be executed tonight by the State of Alabama for a murder for hire. According to court document Kenneth Smith was hired by Charles Sennett Sr, a pastor at a local church to murder his wife Elizabeth Sennett. Elizabeth Sennet would be murdered in her home. When police realised it was not a robbery gone wrong they began to take a closer look at Charles Sennett Sr who would kill himself before he could be arrested. Kenneth Smith would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death. The one legal standout to this case is the jury recommended life in prison however the judge would sentence him to death.

Kenneth Smith More News

Alabama is preparing to execute a man convicted in the 1988 murder-for-hire slaying of a preacher’s wife, even though a jury recommended he receive life imprisonment instead of a death sentence.

Kenneth Smith, 57, is scheduled to receive a lethal injection at a south Alabama prison on Thursday evening. Prosecutors said Smith was one of two men who were each paid $1,000 to kill Elizabeth Sennett on behalf of her husband, who was deeply in debt and wanted to collect on insurance.

Elizabeth Sennett was found dead on March 18, 1988, in the couple’s home on Coon Dog Cemetery Road in Alabama’s Colbert County. The coroner testified that the 45-year-old woman had been stabbed eight times in the chest and once on each side of the neck. Her husband, Charles Sennett Sr, who was the pastor of the Westside Church of Christ in Sheffield, killed himself one week after his wife’s death when the murder investigation started to focus on him as a suspect, according to court documents.

Smith’s final appeals focused on the state’s difficulties with intravenous lines at the last two scheduled lethal injections. One execution was carried out after a delay, and the other was called off as the state faced a midnight deadline to get the execution underway. Smith’s attorneys also raised the issue that judges are no longer allowed to sentence an inmate to death if a jury recommends a life sentence.

John Forrest Parker, the other man convicted in the slaying, was executed in 2010. “I’m sorry. I don’t ever expect you to forgive me. I really am sorry,” Parker said to the victim’s sons before he was put to death.

According to appellate court documents, Kenneth Smith told police in a statement that it was, “agreed for John and I to do the murder” but that he just took items from the house to make it look like a burglary. Smith’s defense at trial said he agreed to beat up Elizabeth Sennett but that he did not intend to kill her, according to court documents.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday denied Smith’s request to review the constitutionality of his death sentence.

Kenneth Smith was initially convicted in 1989, and a jury voted 10-2 to recommend a death sentence, which a judge imposed. His conviction was overturned on appeal in 1992. He was retried and convicted again in 1996. This time, the jury recommended a life sentence by a vote of 11-1, but a judge overrode the jury’s recommendation and sentenced Smith to death.

In 2017, Alabama became the last state to abolish the practice of letting judges override a jury’s sentencing recommendation in death penalty cases, but the change was not retroactive and therefore did not affect death row prisoners like Smith.

The Equal Justice Initiative, an Alabama-based nonprofit that advocates for inmates, said that Smith stands to become the first state prisoner sentenced by judicial override to be executed since the practice was abolished.

Smith filed a lawsuit against the state seeking to block his upcoming execution because of reported problems at recent lethal injections. Smith’s attorneys pointed to a July execution of Joe Nathan James Jr., which an anti-death penalty group claimed was botched. The state disputed those claims. A federal judge dismissed Smith’s l awsuit last month, but also cautioned prison officials to strictly follow established protocol when carrying out Thursday’s execution plan

In September, the state called off the scheduled execution of inmate Alan Miller because of difficulty accessing his veins. Miller said in a court filing that prison staff poked him with needles for over an hour and at one point, they left him hanging vertically on a gurney before announcing they were stopping for the night. Prison officials said they stopped because they were facing a midnight deadline to get the execution underway

https://apnews.com/article/alabama-executions-fd4937918b0529c07c005ace7a357b84

Jimmy O’Neal Spencer Sentenced To Death In Alabama

Jimmy O’Neal Spencer has been sentenced to death by a Alabama jury for a triple murder. According to court documents Jimmy O’Neal Spencer would murder Martha Dell Reliford, 65, Marie Kitchens Martin, 74, and Martin’s great-grandson, Colton Ryan Lee, 7. Marie Kitchens Martin was murdered during a robbery and seven year old Colton Ryan Lee was killed to eliminate a witness to the murders. Martha Dell Reliford who lived across the street was murdered the same night. Jimmy O’Neal Spencer who is a violent offender was just released from prison.

Jimmy O’Neal Spencer More News

A Marshall County circuit judge this morning ruled that prosecutors can seek the death penalty against a man accused of killing three people four years ago.

WAAY reported that the decision came after a defense witness testified that Jimmy O’Neal Spencer, 55, charged with capital murder, has an IQ lower than the U.S. Supreme Court’s recommended range for intellectual disability.

Spencer is accused of the July 13, 2018 deaths of Martha Dell Reliford, 65, Marie Kitchens Martin, 74, and Martin’s great-grandson, Colton Ryan Lee, 7

Spencer’s lawyers say he is not mentally competent to be executed, arguing in court documents last month that he is “intellectually disabled.” Prosecutors say his mental capacity shows he should be considered eligible

Circuit Judge Tim Riley will hear the arguments.

At the time of the murders, the homeless convict was a violent offender just out of prison. Authorities said Spencer strangled and stabbed Martin before taking off with an undisclosed amount of cash. Lee, they said, died from blunt force trauma.

The boy and his great-grandmother were found dead that Friday at her Mulberry Street home in Guntersville. Reliford – also killed by blunt force trauma – was found dead in her home across the street the same night. Investigators said she was hit with the flat side of a hatchet, stabbed and robbed.

Spencer had a string of arrests beginning in 1984 at the age of 19 involving violent offenses, and was twice sentenced to life imprisonment. Yet he was granted parole on Nov. 2, 2017 and released to a homeless shelter in Birmingham, where he was supposed to remain for six months. He left three weeks later.

Spencer traveled to Guntersville, where he had several run-ins with law enforcement and was charged for multiple violations of the law, from traffic offenses and possession of drug paraphernalia, to attempting to elude police, resisting arrest and illegal possession of a firearm. However, his parole was not revoked.

https://www.al.com/news/2022/10/jimmy-oneal-spencers-trial-to-begin-alabama-man-faces-execution-in-3-murders.html

Ophelia Nichols Son Randon Lee Shot And Killed

Alabama TicTok star Ophelia Nichols is begging for the public’s help in solving the murder of her eighteen year old son Randon Lee. According to police reports Randon Lee was shot and killed in Prichard Alabama. Police believe that Randon Lee met the suspects in order to sell marijuana and the drug deal went bad and Lee was shot. Randon Lee was able to get away from his shooters and drove across the street to another gas station where he would ultimately die from his injuries. Police believe they have an idea of the suspects however no arrests have been made.

Randon Lee More News

The Prichard Police Department released new information about the death of an 18-year-old boy who was shot and killed Friday at a Prichard gas station.

The boy’s mother is a local TikTok star which prompted a national non-profit to jump in and try to solve the case. The non-profit is called the AWARE Foundation.

Prichard Police held a press conference three days after the shooting on Monday. Prichard Detective Jason Hadaway said the victim, 18-year-old Randon Lee, was planning to sell marijuana to some people that Friday night but that’s when things took a turn.

“We do know that Mr. Lee had made his way down to Wilmer to sell narcotics two these two individuals,” Hadaway said.

Lee was shot at the Exxon Gas Station on Saint Stephens Road off I-65.

“My son was murdered, he was shot. And I have this hatred in my heart that I don’t recognize,” Lee’s mother said. “And I want you to look at my son, look at my son! Look at him. Look at him. This is my son, and you took him from me.”

Hadaway, the detective on the case, broke down what happened Friday during a press conference.

“We noticed on video that the suspect, both, and the victim pulled up at the pumps. The suspects in the black vehicle got inside the victim’s vehicle,” Hadaway said.

Hadaway said that’s when Lee was shot by one of the suspects who had gotten into the backseat of Lee’s car at the Exxon Gas Station before Lee drove across the street to another gas station, coming to a stop by a dumpster.

“The first stop gas station on Saint Stephens Road, we do know that he was actually shot there,” the detective said. “Mr. Lee was still alive at that point. He drove his vehicle to try to escape the individuals across Saint Stephens Road and that’s where he came to rest, at the Energize Gas Station across the street. EMS was called and they tried to perform medical treatment on him, he died on scene.”

Prichard Police said they have a couple of suspects in mind, but at this time they’ve not released any information about them.

The suspects do have a criminal history, according to the PPD. The detective also stated that Lee has sold to the suspects in the past.

https://mynbc15.com/news/local/local-tiktok-star-pleads-for-answers-after-son-killed-in-prichard

Robert Findlay Smith Kills 3 People At Alabama Church

Robert Findlay Smith is a seventy year old from Birmingham Alabama who opened fire at a Alabama church potluck that left three people dead. According to police reports Robert Findlay Smith was sitting at a table and according to witnesses suddenly stood up and pulled out a gun and began firing. Robert Findlay Smith would allegedly murder Walter Rainey, 84, Sarah Yeager, 75, who would die at the scene and Jane Pounds, 84, who died of her injuries the next day. Robert Findlay Smith who worked as a gun dealer was arrested and has been charged with the three murders

Robert Findlay Smith More News

A Vestavia Hills man is now formally charged with capital murder in the shooting deaths of a man and two women during a church potluck supper Thursday night.

Robert Findlay Smith, 70, is charged in the slayings of Walter “Bart” Rainey, 84, of Irondale, Sarah Yeager, 75, of Pelham and a Jane Pounds, 84, of Hoover.

The charge against Smith is capital because two or more people were killed in the shooting. He was booked into the Jefferson County Jail at 3:33 p.m.

District Attorney Danny Carr announced the warrants. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims’ families and friends along with the entire Vestavia Hills community,’’ Carr said.

Robert Findlay Smith, described by police as the “lone suspect,” was taken into custody after police were called at 6: 22 p.m. to an active shooter at the church. He was held in the Vestavia Hills City Jail overnight and will now be transferred to the Jefferson County Jail where he will be held without bond.

Smith lives near Cahaba Heights and police blocked off his roadway for much of Friday afternoon while they carried out a search warrant at his Sicard Hollow home. Public records show Smith is an ATF licensed firearms dealer, with a business called Original Magazines 2 at 4128 Sicard Hollow Road, which is also his home address.

Authorities have not disclosed a motive in the shooting, and court records don’t list any prior violent crimes for Smith. He received a DUI in 2016, and went to driving school.

Robert Findlay Smith pleaded guilty and received a $465 fine to DUI in Chattanooga on November 2005 case in which he was also charged with possession of a handgun while intoxicated. That charge was dropped.

Smith in 2008 sued Samford University and UAB police Officer Jeremy Burchfield, A UAB police officer who detained him on Samford’s campus. The suit said Smith was illegally detained in 2007 for carrying a firearm on campus and impersonating a police office by carrying a badge. He claimed in the suit there was no evidence of that and the allegations were fabricated by Samford and police.

His lawyer argued that “Many of Plaintiff’s customers are law enforcement personnel and merchants who sell firearms in Jefferson County and outside of Jefferson County throughout the state.”

He won a jury verdict with damages of $29,000 against Burchfield.

Last night’s incident happened during a “Boomers Potluck” dinner that started at 5 p.m. at the church. There were about 25 at the dinner in the parish hall.

Robert Findlay Smith was sitting alone, and a longtime church member approached him and invited him to sit at a table, said the Rev. Doug Carpenter, who founded the church in 1973 and retired in 2005. He identified himself to victim Rainey only as “Mr. Smith” and refused to join them.

He then pulled out a handgun and shot three people, Carpenter said.

Jim Musgrove, a church member, hit the shooter with a chair and wrestled the gun away from him, Carpenter said.

“It was extremely critical in saving lives,’’ said Vestavia Hills police Capt. Shane Ware. “In my opinion, he’s a hero.”

No one at the dinner knew “Mr. Smith,” who claimed he was a former member. “We’re trying to figure out who he is,” Carpenter said.

Law enforcement radio communications during the active shooter situation indicated that police were familiar with the suspect, knowing where he lived and what he drove.

Ware said he could not yet comment on any prior possible involvement with the suspect.

“Any past interactions involving this suspect are currently being investigated by numerous agencies,’’ Ware said. “It would be premature for me at this time to go into that topic.”

“The suspect has previously attended services at this church but as far as the motive behind this, it’s still being looked into by many agencies,’’ Ware said. “It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to speculate.”

“At some point he produced a concealed handgun and began shooting, striking the three victims,’’ Ware said.

“The suspect acted alone,’’ Ware said. “There is no threat to the community.”

https://www.al.com/news/2022/06/70-year-old-man-charged-in-vestavia-hills-church-shooting-that-killed-3.html

Ross McFarland Teen Killer Murders Fathers Fiance

Ross McFarland was a sixteen year old from Alabama when he shot and killed his father’s fiance Martha Jones ‘Marti’ White, 66, in Auburn. According to court documents the teen killer was upset that his father was engaged to another woman less than a year after his mother died. Ross McFarland would fatally shoot the woman. The teen killer was all set to go to trial but at the last minute would plead guilty to murder and be sentenced to 50 years in prison.

Ross McFarland 2023 Information

Race:	W
Sex:	F
Hair Color:	BLOND / STRAWBERRY
Eye Color:	BLUE
Height:	5′ 6″
Weight:	155
Birth Year:	2003
Custody	TUTWILER PRISON

Aliases:

MCFARLAND EMILY RUTH

Ross McFarland More News

An Auburn teen has pleaded guilty to murdering his father’s fiancé at an Auburn home.

Ross McFarland, who was 16 at the time of the 2019 fatal shooting, entered his guilty plea Thursday in the slaying of 66-year-old Martha Jones “Marti” White, according to the Lee County District Attorney’s Office and court records.

Authorities said Ross McFarland “harbored animosity” toward White for being engaged to his father, prominent east Alabama physician Dr. John McFarland, so soon after his mother’s death 11 months earlier.

The deadly shooting happened Oct. 17, 2019. Auburn police responded to a home on Burke Place and found White dead on the floor with a gunshot wound to the face.

White was a retired teacher from Auburn City Schools, as well as a mother and grandmother.

According to court records, investigators in their interview with Dr. McFarland discovered there was a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun missing from the home.

A witness who was a close friend of Ross McFarland told police they were in the home earlier and she witnessed him shoot White when she turned her head to look away from the teen. According to the friend, Ross McFarland picked up the shell casing and they left the scene.

Ross McFarland was arrested the following day and held without bond. Authorities said he posed a “real and present danger’’ to the public at large.

The teen, who had no prior criminal record, was previously denied youthful offender status.

Ross McFarland is sentenced to 50 years in prison.

https://www.al.com/news/montgomery/2022/05/alabama-teen-pleads-guilty-to-killing-fathers-fiance-authorities-say-he-was-angry-over-engagement.html

Ross McFarland Other News

After his father became engaged to the lady barely 11 months after the teen’s mother died, an Alabama adolescent was sentenced to 50 years in prison for killing his doctor father’s new fiancée in a fit of wrath.

Ross McFarland, 18, pleaded guilty to the murder of instructor Martha Jones ‘Marti’ White, 66, in Auburn, Alabama on October 17, 2019.

At the time of the murder, he was 16 years old.

McFarland ‘harbored anger’ toward the lady who became engaged to his father, Dr. John McFarland, barely 11 months after his mother died, according to Lee County officials.

Donna McFarland was a scientist who died in November 2018 aged just 45. She was a microbiology graduate who’d been married to John McFarland for 22 years.

She had two other children besides Ross, who are called Avery and Samuel.

Donna McFarland’s Facebook profile, which has not been updated since before her death, lists her relationship status as separated.

Police in the city of Auburn responded to a home and found White dead on the floor with a gunshot wound to her face.

White was herself a mother of two and grandmother of five, as well as a retired teacher from the city’s school district.

White’s daughter Elizabeth Chaisson released a statement.

‘Today, we moved closer to obtaining justice for our dear mother, Marti White. She was a faithful and committed servant to ALL the children in her life, from her countless numbers of young students to her beloved family, children, and precious grandchildren,’ said Chaisson.

‘She dedicated her life to loving and showing compassion to those who needed it most. To the end of her life, she sacrificed herself to help children in need. While we know this is a step towards earthly justice, we will never know true peace and justice until we meet again,’ she added.

When authorities investigated the case, they found a .40-caliber handgun from Smith & Wesson missing from Dr. McFarland’s home.

They eventually found a witness who was a close friend of Ross McFarland, who said they saw McFarland shoot White when she turned her head to look away, News 19 said.

Ross, the witness said, picked up the bullet’s shell casing and fled.

Investigators said McFarland admitted to fantasizing about killing other people in his community, including children, in a statement after his arrest.

McFarland was sentenced to 50 years in prison. He was denied youthful offender status despite having no prior criminal record.

John McFarland serves as medical director at Lee County Sheriff’s Office. He also works as an ER doctor at East Alabama Medical Center.

McFarland has since remarried, to a retiree called Kathy Timberlake.

https://tdpelmedia.com/alabama-teen-jailed-for-shooting-dads-new-fiancee-in-wake-of-his-moms-death-has-been-charged-with-first-degree-murder-and-child-endangerment-police-say