For Immediate Release:
October 13, 2022
For press inquiries only, contact:
Mike Lewis (334) 353-2199
Cameron Mixon (334) 242-7491
Attorney General Steve Marshall Successfully Defends Convictions of Jefferson County Man for Rape, Kidnapping, Sexual Abuse, and Theft of Property
(MONTGOMERY)óAttorney General Steve Marshall announced that the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the convictions of Timothy Earl Bester, 41, of Bessemer, for rape in the first degree, kidnapping in the first degree, sexual abuse in the first degree, and theft of property in the third degree. Bester was convicted in Jefferson County Circuit Court on December 21, 2021, and his sentence was upheld on appeal on October 7, 2022.
The evidence at trial showed that in January and March 2019, Bester kidnapped two women who he raped and terrorized over a period of several days. Both women suffered horrific injuries during their ordeal with Bester.
Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carrís office successfully prosecuted this case and obtained guilty verdicts. Bester was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for his rape and kidnapping convictions as well as twenty yearsí imprisonment for his sexual-abuse convictions. Bester sought to have his convictions 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 Besterís convictions. The Court did so in a decision issued Friday, October 7, 2022.
ìIf you need any reason as to why the State of Alabama imposes prison sentences of life without the possibility of parole on non-capital offenders, this case is a museum-class exhibit,î said Attorney General Steve Marshall. ìMr. Bester has certainly earned his life sentence and society is better off keeping him behind bars.î
Attorney General Marshall commended Assistant Attorney General Laura Irby Cuthbert for her successful work on this case, and thanked Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr and his staff for their valuable assistance in defending the rape in the first degree, kidnapping in the first degree, sexual abuse in the first degree, and theft of property in the third-degree convictions.
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