For Immediate Release:
May 5, 2023
For press inquiries only, contact:
Amanda Priest (334) 322-5694
Cameron Mixon (334) 242-7491
Attorney General Steve Marshall Announces Court of Criminal Appeals Upholds Reckless Manslaughter Conviction in Shelby County
(MONTGOMERY)—Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced that the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction of Jacob Ryan Davenport, age 30, of Columbiana, for reckless manslaughter. Davenport was convicted in the Shelby County Circuit Court on February 24, 2022.
The evidence at trial showed that on April 7, 2018, Davenport gathered with friends at a residence in Shelby County. According to witnesses, participants at the gathering had been drinking and there was a lot of tension among those still present late in the evening. At some point, Davenport argued with the victim, William Pate Walker, which resulted in Davenport shooting Walker. Davenport admitted to a responding officer that he was the shooter, and he was arrested that night.
Shelby County District Attorney Matt Casey’s office successfully prosecuted this case and obtained a guilty verdict. Davenport was sentenced to seventeen years’ imprisonment for his reckless manslaughter conviction. Davenport 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 Davenport’s conviction. The Court did so in a decision issued Friday, April 28, 2023.
Attorney General Marshall commended Assistant Attorney General Sara D. Rogan for her successful work on this case and thanks District Attorney Matt Casey and his staff for their valuable assistance in defending the reckless manslaughter conviction.
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