FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 14, 2020
For media inquiries only, contact:
Mike Lewis (334) 353-2199
Joy Patterson (334) 242-7491
Attorney General Steve Marshall Announces Court of Criminal Appeals Upholds Murder Conviction in Baldwin County
(MONTGOMERY) – Attorney General Steve Marshall announced that the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction of Michael Robert Burns, 51, for murder. Burns was convicted in Baldwin County Circuit Court on November 4, 2019, for the murder of Raymond Dudley.
The evidence at trial showed that on March 21, 2018, Burns became angry when he learned that Raymond Dudley, an acquaintance, was a sex offender. Burns told another acquaintance that he was going to kill Dudley and was seen in possession of a handgun. Burns then went to a gas station in Gulf Shores attempting to locate Dudley, who soon arrived at the store. A video camera showed Burns’ car leaving the area while Dudley’s bicycle remained at the store. The next day Dudley’s body was found, and it was determined that he had been shot to death. Witnesses testified at trial about hearing gunshots in the area, and one of them saw a car similar to the one Burns was driving in the area during that time.
Baldwin County District Attorney Robert Wilters’ office successfully prosecuted this case and obtained a guilty verdict. Burns was sentenced to life imprisonment for his crime. Burns 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 Burns’ conviction. The Court did so in a decision issued Friday, October 9.
Attorney General Marshall commended Assistant Attorney General Laura Irby Cuthbert for her successful work on this case, and thanked District Attorney Robert Wilters and his staff for their valuable assistance in defending the murder conviction.
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