Alabama Appeals Court Upholds Tadarian Dale Murder Conviction in 2020 Mobile Apartment Shooting

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals has upheld the Tadarian Dale murder conviction in the 2020 shooting death of Jamir Hannah at a Mobile apartment complex, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced Friday.

The appeals court affirmed the convictions of Tadarian Tamarcus Dale, 26, of Whistler, for intentional murder, attempted murder and shooting into an occupied dwelling. A Mobile County Circuit Court jury convicted Dale on March 21, 2025.

The Court of Criminal Appeals issued its decision Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, according to the attorney general’s office. Dale had asked the court to reverse his convictions.

The 2020 Shooting at Avalon Plaza Apartments

According to the attorney general’s office, evidence presented at trial showed that on Aug. 3, 2020, Mobile police responded to a report of a shooting at the Avalon Plaza Apartments.

Officers found Hannah dead from gunshot wounds. Police also found a second victim, Brianna Pharr, who was taken to a local hospital and survived her injuries.

Investigators soon developed Dale as a suspect. According to the attorney general’s office, police learned that Dale had been friends with Hannah and had been involved in a dispute over property before the shooting.

Evidence That Led to Dale

The attorney general’s office outlined several pieces of evidence that pointed investigators to Dale:

• Eyewitness identification: Pharr, the surviving victim, identified Dale as the person who fired the fatal shots.
• Surveillance video: Video footage helped lead police to Dale.
• Search warrants: Results from search warrants executed by police also pointed to Dale.
• Cell phone records: Dale lied to investigators about where he was on the night of the killing, and an analysis of his cell phone records confirmed that his account was false, according to the attorney general’s office.

Convictions and Sentences

Mobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood’s office prosecuted the case and obtained guilty verdicts on all three charges.

Dale was sentenced to:

• Life in prison for the murder conviction.
• 20 years in prison for the attempted murder conviction.
• 10 years in prison for discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling.

Under Alabama law, murder and attempted murder are Class A felonies, the most serious category of felony, which carry a possible sentence of 10 to 99 years or life in prison. Shooting into an occupied building or dwelling is a Class B felony.

State Defended the Convictions on Appeal

After Dale appealed, the attorney general’s Criminal Appeals Division represented the state and argued that the Court of Criminal Appeals should affirm the convictions. The court agreed.

Marshall commended Assistant Attorney General John J. Davis for his work on the case. The attorney general also thanked Blackwood and his staff for their assistance in obtaining the convictions.

The attorney general’s announcement did not detail the specific legal arguments Dale raised on appeal or the reasoning in the court’s decision.

How Criminal Appeals Work in Alabama

The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals is the state’s intermediate appellate court for criminal cases. It is made up of five judges and hears appeals from people convicted of crimes in the state’s circuit courts, along with certain other criminal matters.

In a criminal appeal, a defendant typically argues that errors occurred at trial, such as the admission of evidence, the instructions given to the jury or the sufficiency of the evidence, and asks the court to reverse the conviction or order a new trial. The appellate court reviews the trial record and written briefs from both sides; it does not hear new testimony or retry the facts of the case.

When a district attorney’s office wins a conviction at trial, the Alabama attorney general’s office generally takes over representation of the state for the appeal. The attorney general’s Criminal Appeals Division handles that work statewide.

What Happens Next

A decision by the Court of Criminal Appeals is not necessarily the final word. A defendant whose conviction is affirmed can ask the Court of Criminal Appeals to rehear the case and may then petition the Alabama Supreme Court to review the decision. The Supreme Court has discretion over whether to take up such a petition.

Defendants may also pursue other forms of post-conviction relief in state court, and in some circumstances federal court, after their direct appeals are complete.

The attorney general’s office did not say whether Dale intends to seek further review. For now, his convictions and sentences remain in place.

About Whistler

Whistler is a community in Mobile County, located north of downtown Mobile near Prichard and Chickasaw.

Although Dale lives in Whistler, the shooting he was convicted of took place in Mobile, where Mobile police responded to the Avalon Plaza Apartments on the night of Aug. 3, 2020.

Resources for Families of Crime Victims

Families affected by violent crime in Alabama have access to several forms of support during and after a criminal case. District attorney’s offices, including the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office, have victim service staff who keep victims and families informed about court proceedings. The Alabama Crime Victims’ Compensation Commission can help eligible victims and survivors with certain costs, such as medical bills and funeral expenses. Victims can also register with the VINE notification service to receive updates about an inmate’s custody status.

A Case Spanning More Than Six Years

The case has stretched across more than six years, from the August 2020 shooting to the March 2025 trial and the September 2026 appellate ruling. That timeline reflects how long serious felony cases can take to move through the justice system, from investigation and indictment to trial, sentencing and appeal.

For the family and friends of Hannah and for Pharr, who survived the shooting, the appeals court’s decision keeps in place the verdicts a Mobile County jury reached in 2025.