For Immediate Release:
January 3, 2023

For press inquiries only, contact:
Mike Lewis (334) 353-2199
Cameron Mixon (334) 242-7491

Attorney General Steve Marshall Announces Court of Criminal Appeals Upholds Murder Conviction in Tuscaloosa County

(MONTGOMERY)—Attorney General Steve Marshall announced that the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the murder conviction of Kennetha Lee Anderson, 46, of Tuscaloosa County. Anderson was convicted in Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court on April 26, 2022, for the murder of Quintin Benson.

Late on the evening of September 15, 2019, witnesses saw Anderson staring intently at Benson at a neighborhood gathering in Tuscaloosa County.
Anderson, who lived next door, was seen pacing on his front porch before approaching Benson from behind when witnesses heard a loud pop and saw the victim collapse. Police investigators later learned that the victim had allegedly robbed Anderson some twenty years before.

Tuscaloosa County District Attorney Hays Webb’s office successfully prosecuted the case and obtained a guilty verdict. Anderson was sentenced to life imprisonment for his crime. Anderson sought to have his conviction reversed on appeal.

“Mr. Anderson wrongly took the life of someone who he believed wronged him many years ago,” said Attorney General Marshall. “Our criminal justice system does not allow individuals to take the law into their own hands.”

The Attorney General's Criminal Appeals Division handled the case during the appeals process, arguing for the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals to affirm Anderson’s conviction. The Court did so in a decision issued Friday, December 9, 2022.

Attorney General Marshall commended Assistant Attorney General John E. Owen for his successful work on this case, and thanked District Attorney Hays Webb and his staff for their valuable assistance in defending the murder conviction.

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