News from the South - Alabama News Feed

Gov. Ivey commutes Robin Myers’ death sentence to life without parole, pointing to lack of evidence

Published

1 month ago

February 28, 2025

Staff Editor

alabamareflector.com – Ralph Chapoco – 2025-02-28 17:48:00

Gov. Ivey commutes Robin Myers’ death sentence to life without parole, pointing to lack of evidence

by Ralph Chapoco, Alabama Reflector
February 28, 2025

Gov. Kay Ivey will spare the life of Robin “Rocky” Myers who used to be on death row and would have eventually been executed.

Ivey announced on Friday that she had commuted Myers’ sentence to life with no chance of parole after he was convicted of capital murder in 1991 for his role in the death of Ludi Mae Tucker.

She said in a statement that she still believes in the death penalty but had reservations about Myers’ death sentence.

“In short, I am not convinced that Mr. Myers is innocent, but I am not so convinced of his guilt as to approve of his execution,” Ivey also said. “I therefore must respect both the jury’s decision to convict him and its recommendation that he be sentenced to life without parole.”

Myers’ legal team praised the decision.

“I’m not sure there are words enough to convey my joy, relief, and gratitude at learning of Gov. Ivey’s decision to commute Mr. Myers’s sentence,” said Kacey Keeton, the attorney who represented Myers in his post-conviction appeals.

She said that she had hoped Myers would experience justice and mercy one day.

“Today is that day. Life in Alabama prisons is hard, but Mr. Myers is deeply connected to family and friends whose love has sustained him. Now they, and he, will have more years together, unburdened by the terror that comes with a death sentence.”

She expressed her gratitude to those who supported Myers, to Ivey, and added that “our thoughts remain with the family of Mrs. Tucker.”

Civil rights groups and opponents of the death penalty highlighted Myers’ case for the last couple of years as an example of a person who should have his sentence of death stayed and urged the governor to use her authority to commute his sentence.

Tucker was killed in October 1991. According to court records, Myers entered her residence to use the phone after he had been hurt in a collision. He got into an argument with her cousin and husband, eventually stabbing Tucker, who died at the hospital several hours later, according to court documents.

Myers maintains his innocence. According to court documents, Myers lived across the street from Tucker and said he never entered the residence, but the two would wave to one another.

One witness said that he saw a short, stocky Black man dressed in dark clothing coming from the area of Tucker’s home. Law enforcement arrested Myers after taking him into custody on a probation violation and began to interview him.

He was indicted in Tucker’s death in 1991, and a jury convicted him of capital murder in 1994. A jury recommended he be sentenced to life without parole, but a judge overruled the recommendation and imposed the death penalty.

Before Ivey commuted his sentence, Myers was one of 30 people on death row because a judge had overturned a jury’s verdict that would have spared their lives.

Ivey said in her statement that she had enough doubts about the case to commute Myers’ death sentence.

“For example, no murder weapon was found, and no DNA evidence or fingerprints or other physical evidence tied Mr. Myers to the scene of the crime,” Ivey said. “Although Ms. Tucker knew Mr. Myers and let her attacker inside the house, neither she nor Marie Dutton — the only two eyewitnesses to the crime — ever identified Mr. Myers as the assailant. There is also other circumstantial evidence, but it is riddled with conflicting evidence from seemingly everyone involved.”

Organizations that oppose the death penalty praised Ivey’s decision.

“It is amazing that Gov. Ivey has taken the time to examine this case enough to recognize how much doubt there is about Rocky’s conviction,” said Abraham J. Bonowitz, director of Death Penalty Action, an organization that advocates to abolish the death penalty. “Many of us are convinced of his innocence and we are grateful and hope that Gov. Ivey will give similar attention to Toforest Johnson and Tommy Lane.”

Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.

The post Gov. Ivey commutes Robin Myers’ death sentence to life without parole, pointing to lack of evidence appeared first on alabamareflector.com

Up Next

Mobile couple gets married on Joe Cain Day in honor of their love for Mardi Gras

Don't Miss

Alabama Senate approves bill requiring adult-size changing tables in public buildings

News from the South - Alabama News Feed

Alabama immigration enforcement bill gets approval from 2nd House committee

Published

2 hours ago

April 3, 2025

Staff Editor

alabamareflector.com – Ralph Chapoco – 2025-04-03 06:57:00

by Ralph Chapoco, Alabama Reflector
April 3, 2025

An Alabama House committee Wednesday approved an immigration bill that had already received another committee’s approval earlier in the session.

The House Judiciary Committee approved HB 7, sponsored by Rep. Ernie Yarbrough, R-Trinity, which would give local law enforcement the authority to enforce the country’s immigration laws.

“There are no new laws added,” Yarbrough said to committee members during the meeting. “It simply allows that partnership to take place just to address safety in our communities.”

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.

Judiciary approved the bill about six weeks after the House Public Safety and Homeland Security did so in February. It is unusual for a bill to go through two committees before going to the floor of the House for a vote. The last major legislation to get routed through two House committees was the bill legalizing medical cannabis in Alabama in 2021.

The current bill, largely unchanged from last year, allows local law enforcement, such as sheriff’s offices and police departments, to enter into agreements with federal agencies to arrest and detain people who are not legally authorized to reside in the country.

Once in custody, deputies and police officers must then attempt to determine a person’s immigration status and get the help of an interpreter to determine someone’s nationality.

If a person cannot provide documentation proving they are eligible to live in the country, local law enforcement may then reach out to a Law Enforcement Support Center (LESC) to get information about a person’s immigration status.

The bill states that people cannot be detained solely because of their immigration status unless authorized by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and that sheriffs’ deputies and police departments will verify that a person has an arrest warrant within 24 hours of the person getting detained.

Law enforcement must also obtain documents to verify a person’s immigration status, bet that a passport or a permanent resident card.

House Judiciary Committee members approved an amendment making a few of the requirements optional. A previous version required the Alabama Attorney General’s Office to publicly name any agency failing to comply with provisions in the legislation and notify the governor’s office.

The updated language gives the AG’s Office an option to inform the Governor’s Office.

Another amendment also allows, but doesn’t require, local law enforcement to report the total number of people arrested and the number of foreign nationals they take into custody as well as the inquiries they make to the LESC.

Immigration advocates who spoke at a public hearing on the legislation in March said the legislation is creating fear among immigrant communities. That, they said, would lead to mistrust toward law enforcement and increased school truancy for children of immigrants who are afraid to attend school for fear of their parents being deported.

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee criticized the legislation.

“What country do we border in Alabama?” asked Rep. Penni McClammy, D-Montgomery during the committee meeting Wednesday.

Yarbrough said that every state is connected, and that people travel.

“Each state doesn’t have a physical wall, so people travel from state to state,” Yarbrough said.

YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.

SUPPORT

The post Alabama immigration enforcement bill gets approval from 2nd House committee appeared first on alabamareflector.com

News from the South - Alabama News Feed

New Tariffs Could Raise Car Prices | April 2, 2025 | News 19 at 10 p.m.

Published

11 hours ago

April 2, 2025

Staff Editor

www.youtube.com – WHNT News 19 – 2025-04-02 22:15:12

SUMMARY: A 25% tariff on foreign cars and auto parts is set to take effect at midnight, potentially raising prices for consumers. While current inventory and cars already at U.S. ports will remain at existing prices, future pricing remains uncertain. Dealerships in North Alabama say it’s too early to know the full impact, but warn that repair costs may also rise due to higher parts prices. Some manufacturers may absorb part of the tariff, while others could pass the full cost to buyers—raising a $30,000 car to nearly $40,000. Dealerships report a recent surge in buyers trying to purchase before prices rise.

A 25% tariff on any foreign cars or auto parts will go into effect in a couple of hours.

News 19 is North Alabama’s News Leader! We are the CBS affiliate in North Alabama and the Tennessee Valley since November 28, 1963.

https://whnt.com/
https://www.facebook.com/whntnews19
https://www.instagram.com/whntnews19/
https://twitter.com/whnt

Source

News from the South - Alabama News Feed

Weather Fun 1on1: Brylee explains why thunderstorms occur more often in the summer than in the wi…

Published

11 hours ago

April 2, 2025

Staff Editor

www.youtube.com – WVTM 13 News – 2025-04-02 22:03:30

SUMMARY: Meteorologist Brylee Brown explains why thunderstorms are more common in summer than winter in her “Weather Fun 1-on-1” segment. Joined by Aidan, they conduct an experiment using two bowls of air at different temperatures. The warm air inflates a balloon, demonstrating that warm air is less dense and rises, while cold air causes the balloon to deflate. This principle helps explain why summer afternoons often bring air mass thunderstorms, as humid, warm air is abundant. In winter, less warm air means these storms are rare. For more weather science resources, viewers can scan a QR code or visit the website.