A murder trial got underway this week in Mobile County Circuit Court centered on a fatal shooting at a trailer park off Bellingrath Road in Theodore, with prosecutors and defense attorneys sparring over which of two family members, a father and his son, actually fired the fatal shot.
The case stems from a June 2012 confrontation that left a Theodore man dead from a shotgun wound to the chest after an argument escalated inside his trailer. The victim reportedly stumbled outside and collapsed on a concrete slab near the doorway before he died. Two men, a father and his adult son, are jointly charged in connection with the killing, and opening statements this week made clear the central dispute at trial will be which of them pulled the trigger.
Prosecutors told jurors the case largely amounts to a father shielding his son from responsibility, describing the younger of the two defendants as quick-tempered and suggesting his anger got the better of him that night. The state indicated it plans to introduce several recorded statements from the father, adding up to multiple hours of audio, in which he reportedly claimed responsibility for the shooting in order to protect his son.
Defense attorneys for both men presented competing narratives. Attorneys for the son argued that a physical altercation broke out between the two men earlier that evening, during which the victim, a much larger man, allegedly struck the defendant in the head with a piece of cinder block. The defense contends the son was left incapacitated on the ground from the blow and could not have been the shooter. Meanwhile, the father’s attorney argued that regardless of any statements her client made afterward, he was not actually involved in the shooting, suggesting instead that other family members drew him into the situation after the fact.
A neighbor who lived within view of the trailer testified as the state’s first witness, telling jurors he had been sharing a drink with the father when the argument next door escalated. He said he witnessed the son fire two shots at the victim, striking him once, describing the shooter as behaving erratically in the chaotic moments that followed. The witness also testified that the father later grabbed the shotgun from his son’s hands, at which point it discharged a third time into the air, and that the father attempted to conceal the weapon on the witness’s property before ultimately setting it down. According to testimony, the firearm was later recovered from a wooded area a few hundred feet from the scene.
Additional testimony expected in the days ahead is likely to focus on forensic evidence related to the weapon and the sequence of events that night. The trial is being heard before a Mobile County circuit judge, and both men face significant time behind bars if convicted.
The case has drawn attention in the Theodore community, where neighbors have followed developments since the shooting first occurred more than two years ago. Court proceedings are expected to continue over the coming days as both sides present additional witnesses and evidence.