FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS RELEASE
November 14, 2018
For More Information, contact:
Mike Lewis (334) 353-2199
Steve Marshall
Joy Patterson (334) 242-7491
Page 1 of 1
Alabama Attorney General
Attorney General Steve Marshall Announces that Court of Criminal
Appeals Upholds Geneva County Reckless Murder Conviction
(MONTGOMERY)–Attorney General Steve Marshall announced that the Alabama
Court of Criminal Appeals on Friday upheld the reckless murder conviction of Justin
Tyler Walding. Walding, 31, of Webb, was convicted in the Geneva County Circuit
Court in December 2017 for the murder of Cindy Craig Knight.
Evidence presented at trial indicated that on the evening of June 11, 2016, Walding had
ingested a combination of alprazolam, hydrocodone, and methamphetamine and was
travelling at a high rate of speed on Highway 52 in Geneva County. Walding drove on
the wrong side of the highway and collided head-on with a vehicle driven by Knight.
Knight’s vehicle was knocked into a ditch, and she died in her vehicle from injuries
caused by the crash.
The case was prosecuted by Geneva County District Attorney Kirke Adams’ office.
Walding was sentenced to life imprisonment and subsequently sought to have his
conviction reversed on appeal.
The Attorney General’s Appeals Division handled the case during the appeals process,
arguing for the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals to affirm the conviction. The Court
did so in a decision issued on Friday, November 9.
Attorney General Marshall commended Assistant Attorney General Ferris Stephens of
the Attorney General’s Appeals Division for his successful work in this case.
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www.ago.state.al.us