FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS RELEASE
August 29, 2018
For More Information, contact:
Mike Lewis (334) 353-2199
Steve Marshall
Joy Patterson (334) 242-7491
Page 1 of 1
Alabama Attorney General
AG Steve Marshall Announces Court of Criminal Appeals
Upholds Shelby County Murder Conviction
(MONTGOMERY) – Attorney General Steve Marshall announced the Alabama
Court of Criminal Appeals has upheld the murder conviction of Eric Matthew
Blackerby. Blackerby, 19, was convicted in Shelby County Circuit Court in August 2017
for the murder of William Neff.
Evidence presented at trial showed that Eric Blackerby killed Neff in the
aftermath of a fight between Eric’s brother and Neff over a young woman they had both
dated. The fight occurred around midnight on July 29, 2015, at a dirt area in the woods
in western Shelby County on the banks of the Cahaba River, known locally as the
“Slab.” After the fight had finished and Neff was getting back up, Eric Blackerby came
behind him and struck him in the head with an aluminum baseball bat. An autopsy
determined that Neff died of multiple “blunt force trauma to the skull which caused
brain damage and ultimately [Neff’s] demise.”
Shelby County District Attorney Jill Lee’s Office prosecuted the case. Upon
conviction, the trial court sentenced Eric Blackerby to life in prison. Blackerby appealed
his conviction, and on Friday, August 24, the Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed his
conviction.
Attorney General Marshall commended Assistant Attorney General Jack Willis
of the Attorney General’s Criminal Appeals Division for his successful work in this case.
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501 Washington Avenue * Montgomery, AL 36104 * (334) 242-7300
www.ago.state.al.us
