FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 18, 2021
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Mike Lewis (334) 353-2199
Joy Patterson (334) 242-7491
Attorney General Steve Marshall Announces Court of Criminal Appeals Upholds Murder Conviction in Mobile County
(MONTGOMERY) – Attorney General Steve Marshall announced that the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the murder conviction of Shuantell Gerrell Fountain, 39. Fountain was convicted in Mobile County Circuit Court on September 24, 2020, for the murder of Carlos Stacy.
Evidence at trial indicated that in January 2018, Fountain went to meet a group of people including the victim, Carlos Stacy. When Fountain arrived, he demanded $1,000 from Stacy. Reacting to Stacy’s sudden movement, Fountain fired three to four shots, one of which struck Stacy in the back. Fountain then proceeded to chase Stacy until he fell to the ground.
Witnesses at trial testified that the victim did not have a gun, nor did he threaten or provoke Fountain. A subsequent forensic examination matched the shell casings found at the scene as having been fired from a pistol that belonged to Fountain. Additionally, Fountain’s mother testified at trial that on the day of the shooting, Fountain called her and confessed to her that he had shot Stacy.
Mobile County District Attorney Ashley Rich’s office successfully prosecuted this case and obtained a guilty verdict. Fountain was sentenced to life imprisonment for his crime. Fountain 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 Fountain’s conviction. The Court did so in a decision issued March 5, 2021.
Attorney General Marshall commended Assistant Attorney General Cecil Brendle for his successful work on this case, and thanked District Attorney Ashley Rich and her staff for their valuable assistance in defending the murder conviction.
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