For Immediate Release:
February 8, 2023
For press inquiries only, contact:
Cameron Mixon (334) 242-7491
Attorney General Steve Marshall Announces Court of Criminal Appeals Upholds Manslaughter Conviction in Mobile County
(MONTGOMERY) Attorney General Steve Marshall announced that the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction of Mikel Pettway, age 24, of Mobile, for manslaughter. Pettway was convicted in the Mobile County Circuit Court on February 10, 2022, for the manslaughter of LaQuan Packer.
The evidence at trial showed that on March 22, 2019, Pettway got into the backseat of a vehicle to conduct a drug deal between himself and the victim. The victim already owed Pettway money for a previous drug purchase. An argument quickly ensued, ending with Pettway producing a pistol and fatally shooting the victim in the back.
Mobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood’s office successfully prosecuted this case and obtained a guilty verdict. Pettway was sentenced to twenty year’s imprisonment. Pettway 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 Pittway’s conviction. The Court did so in a decision issued Friday, February 3, 2023.
Attorney General Marshall commended Assistant Attorney General Catherine Kline for her successful work on this case and thanked District Attorney Keith Blackwood and his staff for their valuable assistance in defending the manslaughter conviction.
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