MOBILE, Ala. — Jurors in the Thanksgiving shooting trial of a man accused of killing Tavon Holder in 2020 deliberated before breaking for the night and are expected to resume their work in the morning.
Prosecutors allege that Anthony MacPherson met with Holder on Thanksgiving Day in 2020 to sell him marijuana and then fatally shot him in the back at an apartment complex off Old Pascagoula Road. MacPherson was 17 at the time of the shooting.
MacPherson is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty in court. The allegations against him are accusations that the state must prove beyond a reasonable doubt.
What prosecutors allege
According to the prosecution, the shooting happened during a meeting arranged around a marijuana sale on Thanksgiving Day 2020. Prosecutors say MacPherson shot Holder in the back at the apartment complex off Old Pascagoula Road, and Holder died.
The case has taken nearly six years to reach a jury. Long gaps between a homicide and trial are not unusual in Alabama, where serious felony cases must move through arrest, preliminary proceedings, grand jury review, arraignment, pretrial motions and scheduling on a crowded circuit court docket before a jury is seated.
How jury deliberations work
Once both sides have rested and delivered closing arguments, the judge instructs the jurors on the law that applies to the case, including the elements prosecutors must prove for each charge and, in some cases, any lesser offenses jurors may consider. The jury then retires to deliberate in private.
- Unanimous verdict: In an Alabama felony trial, all 12 jurors must agree on a verdict of guilty or not guilty.
- Standard of proof: Prosecutors must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The defendant does not have to prove his innocence.
- No time limit: Deliberations can last hours or days. When jurors break for the night, they are typically instructed not to discuss the case with anyone or to look up information about it.
- Possible deadlock: If jurors cannot reach a unanimous decision after a reasonable period, the judge may declare a mistrial, and prosecutors can decide whether to try the case again.
A decision by jurors to deliberate overnight does not signal any particular outcome. It simply means the panel has not yet reached a unanimous verdict.
A defendant who was 17 at the time
MacPherson was 17 when Holder was killed. In Alabama, a 16- or 17-year-old charged with certain serious felonies, including murder, is generally tried as an adult in circuit court rather than in juvenile court. If a defendant who was a juvenile at the time of an offense is convicted, his age at the time of the crime can matter at sentencing, because U.S. Supreme Court decisions limit some of the harshest punishments for crimes committed before age 18.
What happens next
Deliberations are expected to resume in the morning in Mobile County Circuit Court. If the jury returns a guilty verdict, sentencing would typically be scheduled for a later date, after a presentence report is prepared. If the jury finds MacPherson not guilty, he cannot be tried again for the same offense.
South AL News will report the verdict when it is announced.
