MOBILE, Ala. — A judge has ruled that prosecutors have enough evidence to proceed with reckless murder and assault charges against a Mobile man accused of causing a fatal crash.
Prosecutors said Chase Bodiford was driving drunk in June when his pickup truck ran a red light on Schillinger Road South and collided with a vehicle traveling west on Cottage Hill Road.
Alan Grantham, a 72-year-old passenger in the vehicle, was killed in the collision. A woman in the vehicle was also injured.
A grand jury will now decide whether to indict Bodiford, who remains jailed on a $300,000 bond.
Why the Charge Is Murder, Not Manslaughter
The charge in this case is the notable element. Fatal crashes involving impaired driving are frequently prosecuted in Alabama as manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide. Reckless murder is a more serious charge, and it requires the state to prove more.
Alabama Code § 13A-6-2(a)(2) defines one form of murder as conduct that manifests extreme indifference to human life and that recklessly creates a grave risk of death to a person other than the defendant, thereby causing death.
The distinction from manslaughter is one of degree. Manslaughter requires recklessness; reckless murder requires recklessness that rises to extreme indifference to human life — conduct so dangerous that the law treats it as equivalent to intent, even without any intent to harm a specific person.
Prosecutors pursuing that theory in a vehicular case typically point to a combination of aggravating facts rather than impairment alone. Running a red light while impaired, in a pickup truck, at an intersection of two significant roadways, is the kind of fact pattern that supports the argument.
What Reckless Murder Carries
Murder is a Class A felony in Alabama, with a sentence range of 10 years to life. Manslaughter is a Class B felony, carrying two to 20 years. The difference in exposure between the two charges is substantial, which is why the charging decision in vehicular homicide cases is often contested.
What the Ruling Means
The judge’s finding came at a preliminary hearing, which determines only whether probable cause exists for the case to proceed. It is not a trial and does not resolve guilt.
The case now goes to a Mobile County grand jury, which will determine whether to return an indictment. Grand jury proceedings are closed and hear only the prosecution’s presentation.
The Intersection
The collision occurred where Schillinger Road South meets Cottage Hill Road in west Mobile, an intersection of two heavily traveled arterial roads in a commercial and residential corridor. Both carry substantial volume throughout the day.
Bond and Status
Bodiford remains jailed on a $300,000 bond. He has not been convicted of any offense and is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.