Elizabeth Kerr Flanagan Loving, the daughter of Otto and Audrey Pearl Hendon Kerr, began her life at 438 North Walnut Street when the now historic home was only a year old. While she lived in Huntsville during her first marriage, the Florence residence had long been home to the 71 year-old Loving when she left it to take up digs in a local behavioral health unit in April 1995. It was still a kinder departure than that of her husband Ernest Norman Loving, who left in a body bag ultimately to be buried in a Selma cemetery.
After the death of Audrey Kerr in 1990, Elizabeth and her second husband were left alone in the aging Walnut Street residence. Loving, known as Ernie, was only 43 at his death, but those who knew him called him a raging alcoholic who had been in rehab at least 15 times and looked much older than his actual age. He was not only physically abusive to his wife, but also a regular with the AA crowd and, according to Elizabeth, was having an affair with a woman whom he had met while attending Alcoholics Anonymous.
Ernie Loving's alcoholism also caused the couple financial problems. He owned an electronics business in Sheffield, but often worked little and failed to collect from clients who owed him. In short, Elizabeth wasn't content in her marriage, and January 1995 saw the union come to a violent end.
Due to Ernie being often absent from the home, he was ostensibly worried about his wife's well-being while alone. Elizabeth claimed that he encouraged her to visit Shootin' Irons Emporium in downtown Florence where she purchased a .380 calibre handgun.
According to Elizabeth's trial testimony, the couple's problems came to a head on the night of January 31st. Soon after, neighbors realized they hadn't seen Ernie in several days, and his work truck remained in the same location in the driveway of the Walnut Street home. When asked, Elizabeth cracked jokes about her husband's whereabouts. Some observers even theorized that Ernie had been offed and buried under the new front walkway. Yes, it seems Elizabeth was making a lot of improvements to her childhood home now that she was living alone. Yet for all the improvements, Mrs. Loving made none to the back bedroom of the old home.
It was on April 4th that Elizabeth asked her hair stylist and his partner to dinner. She must have fully trusted the two men, but thankfully her dinner guests chose not to become involved in her machinations. At some point, the guests were directed to the back bedroom where to their horror they found the almost mummified body of Ernest Loving lying in a fetal position. Elizabeth suggested that she needed their help in order to dispose of the remains properly.
In early 1995, few owned a bulky mobile phone, but one of Elizabeth's guests managed to run next door to call police. When the authorities arrived, they found not only the decayed body of Ernest Loving, but Elizabeth with a gunshot wound to her abdomen. She was taken to Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital where she recovered. Loving was later transferred to the hospital's behavioral health unit and then to Bryce Hospital in Tuscaloosa where she underwent extensive psychiatric testing.
During the five months in hospital in Tuscaloosa, Loving suffered a stroke; however, she was later judged both mentally and physically competent to stand trial. Ralph Holt represented Loving at the October trial where she changed her plea from not guilty by reason of mental defect to self-defense. Elizabeth stated that Ernie had come home drunk and demanded a divorce. Further, he hit her several times, while she begged him not to hurt her. She then shot her husband several times with the exact number being unknown to her.
A jury found Elizabeth Loving guilty of Felony Murder and sentenced her to 30 years in the state prison system; however, her troubles were far from over. Ernie Loving had two daughters from a previous relationship who sued Loving for the wrongful death of their father. After Loving lost the case, she was forced to sell both the Sheffield electronics business and the childhood home she had fought so hard to save.
As is usually the case, Elizabeth Kerr Loving didn't spend 30 years in prison for murdering her profligate husband. She was released early and, if public records are correct, today lives in Birmingham at the age of 99.
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