Attorney General Steve Marshall Announces Court of Criminal Appeals Upholds Murder Conviction in Russell County
(MONTGOMERY)—Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced that the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction of Delewis Antwan Collier, age 40, of Phenix City, for murder. Collier was convicted in the Russell County Circuit Court on May 5, 2022.
The evidence at trial showed that on December 25, 2019, Collier and his victim, Sidney Jones, were at a local sports bar in Phenix City. Collier and Jones knew each other and had had several prior altercations before the night of the murder. Collier observed Jones at the bar and left to retrieve a gun that he used to shoot Jones multiple times resulting in his death. The incident was captured on video surveillance. Collier contended at trial that he was afraid of Jones and thought that he saw Jones with a gun on the night of the murder. This claim was rejected by the jury.
Russell County District Attorney Rick Chancey’s office successfully prosecuted this case and obtained a guilty verdict. Collier was sentenced to forty-five years’ imprisonment for his murder conviction. Collier sought to have his conviction reversed on appeal.
The Attorney General’s Criminal Appeals Division handled the case during the appeals process, arguing for the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals to affirm Collier’s conviction. The Court did so in a decision issued Friday, April 28, 2023.
Attorney General Marshall commended Assistant Attorney General Jordan Shelton for her successful work on this case and thanks District Attorney Rick Chancey and his staff for their valuable assistance in defending the murder conviction.
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