MOBILE, Ala. — A jury has convicted Adrien Thompson of felony murder in connection with the 2024 shooting death of Jermonte Brown, Mobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood announced.
Evidence presented at trial earlier this week showed that Thompson believed Brown had cheated him during a dice game earlier that evening. Thompson then planned to rob Brown during another dice game at an abandoned residence on Duncan Street. During the robbery, Thompson pulled a firearm, resulting in Brown’s death.
What the District Attorney Said
“Jermonte Brown lost his life over a few hundred dollars,” said District Attorney Keith Blackwood. “Thompson planned the robbery, brought a gun and set in motion the events that led to Brown’s death. This verdict holds him accountable for the deadly consequences of his actions.”
The State was represented by Assistant District Attorney Katy Sipper and Trial Coordinator Carla Nealy.
What Felony Murder Means
The felony murder conviction is the legally significant element of the verdict, and it differs from an intentional murder finding in an important way.
Under Alabama Code § 13A-6-2(a)(3), a person commits murder when, in the course of committing or attempting to commit certain enumerated felonies — robbery among them — that person or an accomplice causes the death of any person. The prosecution is not required to prove that the defendant intended to kill.
The theory is one of transferred culpability: a defendant who chooses to commit an inherently dangerous felony assumes responsibility for deaths that result from it, whether or not the killing was planned. That is precisely the structure of Blackwood’s statement — Thompson planned the robbery, brought a gun and set the events in motion.
Felony murder is graded as murder in Alabama and carries the same classification: a Class A felony.
Sentencing and the Firearm Enhancement
Sentencing for Thompson is set for Nov. 4. With the firearm enhancement, he faces a sentence of 20 years to life in prison.
A Class A felony in Alabama ordinarily carries a range of 10 years to life. Alabama law raises the minimum to 20 years when a firearm or deadly weapon was used in the commission of the offense. The judge retains discretion above that floor, and sentencing hearings typically include argument from both sides along with any victim impact statements.
A Second Defendant
Dennis Lamar, who is also charged in connection with the case, is scheduled for trial in December.
Lamar has not been convicted of any offense and is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Trying co-defendants separately is common practice where the evidence against each differs or where a joint trial would present complications.
The Case
The killing occurred in 2024 at an abandoned residence on Duncan Street. According to the evidence presented at trial, the sequence began with a dice game earlier in the evening that Thompson believed had been rigged against him, and ended when he armed himself and set out to take the money back by force at a second game.
The district attorney’s framing of the case — a life lost over a few hundred dollars — is the kind of summary prosecutors frequently offer after verdicts in cases of this type, where the dispute that produced a homicide was, in financial terms, small.
What Happens Next
Thompson will be sentenced Nov. 4 in Mobile County. Lamar’s trial is scheduled for December.