Man convicted in deadly 2020 Montgomery shooting

Lina Portman3 days ago

0 1 minute read

MONTGOMERY, Alabama (WSFA) – A man has been sentenced to prison for murder Filming 2020 in Montgomery.

Circuit Judge J.R. Gaines sentenced William Carroll, 43, to 10 years in prison for the death of Eric Derell Witcher, 46.

A jury found Carroll guilty of involuntary manslaughter in May 2024. He was initially charged with murder.

Describing the shooting, prosecutor Daryl Bailey said Carroll approached Witcher as he was leaving an apartment in the Griffin Village complex on April 30, 2020. Bailey said an argument between the two men escalated into physical violence and then turned deadly when Carroll began shooting at an unarmed Witcher. As Witcher tried to flee, he was shot.

The prosecutor said Carroll testified: “When he hit me, I kept shooting. He tried to run up the stairs and I gave him my hand.”

The district attorney's office said it argued that Carroll should serve the maximum 20-year sentence allowed by law for involuntary manslaughter convictions.

Bailey released the following statement Wednesday:

“I am proud that my office was able to secure a conviction in this case and I hope that Mr. Witcher’s family feels that they have received justice. I have said repeatedly that if you commit a violent crime in Montgomery County, my office will ensure that you are convicted and we will seek the maximum sentence possible. We sought to deliver on that promise in this case. While I respect the criminal justice system and the work of our judges, I am disappointed in the sentence imposed in this case. William Carroll, by his own admission in court, showed no remorse for shooting and killing an unarmed man. Because Mr. Carroll had no regard for Eric Witcher’s life, he should have received nothing less than 20 years in the Alabama Department of Corrections. I respectfully disagree with his sentence, but my office will continue to aggressively pursue violent crimes and seek the longest possible sentences.”

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