Latest news with #WBRC
Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Alabama to execute a long-serving death row inmate for the 1988 beating death of a woman he dated
Lane was 32 when she was murdered Aug. 2, 1988, in the Cordova apartment she shared with a woman who was Hunt's cousin. Advertisement Prosecutors said Hunt broke into her apartment and killed her after sexually abusing her. A physician who performed an autopsy testified that she died from blunt force trauma and that Lane had sustained some 60 injuries, including 20 to the head. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up A jury on June 19, 1990, found Hunt guilty of capital murder during sexual abuse and burglary. Jurors recommended by a vote of 11-1 that he receive a death sentence, which a judge imposed. Hunt's final request for a stay of execution, which he filed himself, focused on claims that prosecutors made false statements to jurors about evidence of sexual abuse. The element of sexual abuse is what elevated the crime to a death penalty offense. Advertisement In a filing to the U.S. Supreme Court, Hunt, acting as his own attorney, wrote that a prosecutor told jurors that cervical mucus was on a broomstick near Hunt's body. However, the victim did not have a cervix because of an earlier hysterectomy. The Alabama attorney general's office called the claim meritless and said even if the prosecutor erred in that statement, it did not throw the conviction into doubt. Hunt, speaking by telephone last month from prison, did not dispute killing Lane but maintained he did not sexually assault her. He also described himself as someone who was changed by prison. 'Karen didn't deserve what happened to her,' Hunt said. Hunt said he had been drinking and doing drugs on the night of the crime and became jealous when he saw Lane in a car with another man. 'You have your come-to-Jesus moment. Of course, after the fact, you can't believe what has happened. You can't believe you were part of it and did it,' Hunt said. Hunt, who was born in 1960 and came to death row in 1990, is now among the longest-serving inmates on Alabama's death row. He said prison became his 'hospital' to heal his broken mind. He said since 1988, he has been leading a Bible class attended by two dozen or more inmates. 'Just trying to be a light in a dark place, trying to tell people if I can change, they can too. ... become people of love instead of hate,' he said. Lane's sister declined to comment when reached by telephone. The family is expected to give a written statement Tuesday night. 'The way she was killed is just devastating,' Denise Gurganus, Lane's sister, told TV station WBRC at a 2014 vigil for crime victims. 'It's hard enough to lose a family member to death, but when it's this gruesome.' Advertisement The Alabama attorney general's office, in asking justices to reject Hunt's request for a stay of execution, wrote that Hunt has now been on death row longer than Lane was alive. Alabama last year became the first state to carry out an execution with nitrogen gas. Nitrogen has now been used in five executions — four in Alabama and one in Louisiana. The method involves using a gas mask to force an inmate to breathe pure nitrogen gas, depriving them of the oxygen needed to stay alive. Hunt had named nitrogen as his preferred execution method. He made the selection before Alabama had developed procedures for using gas. Alabama also allows inmates to choose lethal injection or the electric chair.
Miami Herald
13 hours ago
- General
- Miami Herald
Teens vanish tubing on Alabama river, setting off hourslong search, officials say
Four teens reported missing while rafting along an Alabama river were found safe after an hourslong search, officials said. The teens began floating the Cahaba River, near Birmingham, at about 6 p.m. June 8 using an inflatable pool and were reported missing three hours later, Leeds Fire and Rescue officials told WBRC. Rescuers from multiple agencies across several nearby towns helped in the search, and the students were found safe at about 1 a.m. June 9 after being spotted by a helicopter, the Irondale Police Department said in a Facebook post and reported. According to officials, the teens got out of the water and started walking along the shoreline when their raft started having issues, reported. Medical officials treated the teens after they were found, police said. No one was injured. 'The support shown by the community for the family and friends of the students stranded on the Cahaba River was truly remarkable,' police said. 'This incident is a powerful reminder of the importance of being prepared when enjoying the outdoors.'
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wellborn senior honored with Rising Star scholarship
WELLBORN — Bentley Bean, a senior at Wellborn High School, has been named one of six recipients of the 2024–2025 Rising Star Scholarship, a $5,000 award sponsored by AmFirst Credit Union and WBRC Fox 6. The scholarship honors students across central Alabama for their academic excellence, leadership and community service. 'I'm very excited that I was chosen,' Bean said . ' I didn't even think I would get the scholarship out of how many kids were selected for it.' Bean was selected from a competitive pool of 30 'Rising Star' nominees who were featured throughout the academic year by WBRC. Each honoree was chosen for demonstrating perseverance, passion and a commitment to bettering their communities. 'From that pool, six students were selected to receive the $5,000 Rising Star Scholarship to support their educational journey,' the organizations said in a joint announcement. The winners were announced during an awards ceremony in Birmingham. Along with Bean, scholarship recipients included Kimora Dejarenette of Sylacauga High School, Carleigh Lipscomb of Gadsden City High School, LeeAnn Satterfield of Southside High School, James Murphy Jr. of Minor High School, and Lana Todd of Holly Pond High School. 'We're incredibly proud to continue our partnership with WBRC to highlight and support the next generation of leaders through the Rising Star program,' said Kevin Morris, president and CEO of AmFirst. 'These students are a powerful reminder of the promise our future holds.' The scholarship program also included the Bill and Pat Connor Scholarship, named in 2025 to honor the legacy of former AmFirst CEO Bill Connor and his wife, Pat. That award went to Ryan Kozlek of Oak Mountain High School, a dependent of an AmFirst employee. For Bean, the honor represents years of hard work and a promising start to the next chapter of his academic journey. Each scholarship recipient plans to attend a full-time college or trade school beginning in fall 2025. Bean said she will attend Jacksonville State University and study physical therapy and sports medicine. Bean's mom, Dia Webb, who is also the principal at Wellborn High School, said she was amazed because there were over 200 applicants for the scholarship. 'We were just floored when we received the call that she was getting the award,' Webb said. 'As one of the recipients we were kind of speechless and I'm so proud that she did this on her own.' More information on the Rising Star program and this year's honorees is available at
USA Today
25-04-2025
- USA Today
Alabama woman charged with capital murder in connection to death of father of her children
Alabama woman charged with capital murder in connection to death of father of her children An Alabama woman was taken into custody in what police are calling a "domestic-related homicide" case. According to the Birmingham Police Department, 30-year-old Shatice Jackson was charged with capital murder in connection with the death of Mickese Bostic, who was killed on April 20. Witnesses told police that Jackson ran over Bostic, "causing the vehicle to collide with him and his neighbor's house," the press release stated. WBRC and WBMA reported that Bostic, 27, was between the car and the home. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The suspect and victim have children together, and police believe one was present when the incident unfolded. Crime: Oklahoma man faces charges in connection with deadly dog-fighting camp Jackson and Bostic reportedly got into a verbal dispute According to the reports, Bostic had an Easter Sunday party at his house, where he and Jackson got into an argument. She left but later returned and allegedly committed the crime. Police said she was arrested and booked in the local jail on no bond. Local news reported that she appeared in court on April 23 but was given a new date to allow her attorney to file a notice of appearance. Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@
Miami Herald
26-02-2025
- Miami Herald
Husband reports wife missing before she's found strangled in creek bed, Alabama cops say
A husband reported his wife missing, then her body was found under a bridge in a creek bed, according to Alabama authorities. Police say he's the one who killed her. Stephen Miller Sr., 64, told officers on Feb. 24 that his wife had been missing for two days, the Dothan Police Department said in a news release. Miller put out an 'urgent request' for tips on Facebook that said Gloria Miller was last seen in a residential neighborhood of Dothan the evening of Feb. 22 before she disappeared. He asked anyone with information to contact him. But police said that before Stephen Miller reported his 57-year-old wife missing to police, someone had found some of her personal items in a parking lot of a shopping center. Family members also took to Facebook to share the woman was missing, adding that her phone and wallet had been found at a local shopping center 'for some reason.' Police said they later learned Stephen Miller had left his wife's items in the parking lot, then someone found them and turned them in. Investigators said Miller told police during an interview that he and his wife got into a physical fight on Feb. 22, and he strangled her to death. Lt. Ronald Hall with the Dothan Police Department told WBRC that Miller said he put his wife's body in his pickup truck, drove across the county line and dumped her remains. Police said Miller pointed them to the location, then they found his wife's body in a dry creek under a bridge in neighboring Geneva County. Miller was charged with murder and booked in jail on $1.5 million bond, police said. Dothan is in Houston County in southeast Alabama.
