A Mobile judge has ruled that prosecutors presented enough evidence to move the case of a man accused in a fatal shooting on Roys Lane toward a grand jury, clearing the way for jurors to consider a murder indictment.
The ruling came after a preliminary hearing for John Howell, the Mobile man accused in the shooting. At a preliminary hearing, a judge examines whether there is probable cause to believe a crime occurred and that the person charged committed it. It is a lower bar than the proof required for a conviction, and it is not a finding of guilt.
Prosecutors say Howell is connected to the April shooting on Roys Lane, a residential street just off Dauphin Island Parkway in Mobile. The shooting killed 51-year-old Jacob Griffith. Neighbors described Roys Lane as a typically quiet street, and said the shooting was out of character for the area.
What happens next
With the judge finding sufficient evidence at the preliminary hearing, the case now moves to a Mobile County grand jury, which will independently decide whether to hand up a formal murder indictment against Howell. A grand jury does not determine guilt or innocence; its role is to weigh whether there is enough evidence to bring formal charges forward for trial. If the grand jury votes to indict, the case would proceed toward Mobile County Circuit Court.
Howell has not been convicted of any crime, and as the case heads to the grand jury, the outcome remains undetermined.