Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals Upholds Murder Conviction in 2016 I-65 Shooting

The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals has upheld the murder conviction of Joseph Ryan Carter, 35, for the 2016 shooting death of Joe Nathan Thomas along Interstate 65 in south Alabama. Carter was convicted in Mobile County Circuit Court on June 18, 2020, and sentenced to 28 years in prison.

According to investigators, Carter, Thomas and another passenger set out on Nov. 10, 2016, for a casino trip to Biloxi, Mississippi. Prosecutors said Carter became agitated during a stop at a gas station and drew a gun before Thomas urged him to calm down and he put it away.

Later that night, testimony showed, Carter pulled onto the shoulder of I-65 between Creola and Stockton so his passengers could use the bathroom. The surviving passenger testified she was at the other end of the parked truck when she heard a gunshot and saw Thomas on the ground, then fled on foot as more shots rang out.

Carter maintained at trial that he acted in self-defense. The appeals court’s affirmation came despite that claim; evidence presented at trial established that Thomas was shot in the back of the head.

The appellate ruling, issued Friday, Aug. 27, leaves the conviction and sentence intact.

What happens next

A defendant whose conviction is affirmed by the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals may ask that court for a rehearing and may then petition the Alabama Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari. The Supreme Court’s review is discretionary, meaning it can decline to hear the case, in which case the appeals court’s ruling stands.