The Strange Tale of Brandi Lee Campbell - Update

My brother passed away on 6/18/2008. He is missed very deeply by all of us! God rest his soul and I know I will see him again one day. - Brandi Lee Campbell

Brandi Lee Campbell entered the above quote on her MySpace page, the social networking site she opened on June 25, 2008. In reality, Brandi's brother, Bryan Ray Campbell, died around one o'clock in the morning on June 19. Brandi Lee Campbell shot her brother with a .410 calibre pump shotgun, and he was pronounced dead at Helen Keller Hospital later that morning.

Some friends and relatives of Brandi claim she had previously threatened the life of her 32 year-old brother, the single parent of a young daughter fighting acute myelogenous leukemia. Brandi, Brian, and Brandi's new husband, Charles Johnson, were all drinking the night of the shooting, so the truth may never be known, but Brandi claims she killed her beloved brother in self-defense and to protect her ten year-old son Brandon Williams, a witness to the killing.

Sheffield detectives who investigated the shooting were familiar with Campbell-Johnson, who had been involved in three previous death investigations and countless domestic disputes. They wanted her charged with murder, but the only witnesses were her husband and son. Despite her family's sworn statements, Sheffield police initially arrested Brandi Lee Campbell for felony murder, but they weren't prepared for what happened next.

Brandi Lee Campbell and her brother Brian Ray were the product of Terry Kiker's marriage to Ray Campbell. After her divorce, Terry Kiker Campbell became the breadwinner for her family, attempting to make the best life she could for her family. Friends remember both Brian and Brandi as outgoing children, always seeking to be the center of attention. As Brian matured, he began to call himself "Big Daddy" and nicknamed both friends and family, usually including the word "Lil" in the appellation. Brandi was "Lil Sis" to Brian, but she had big ideas.

Pregnant at 17, she claimed to have graduated from Muscle Shoals High School in 1997, while according to her family, Brandi was a dropout who earned a GED. She enrolled at Shoals Community College the next year. Brandi Lee lists her major as "Paralegal" and her minor as cosmetology. Networking sites also list her occupation as paralegal, but her only job since graduation was at B & B Hair Salon in Muscle Shoals.

Brian had similar problems in settling on a career, but at the time of his death had become a truck driver, an occupation his friends thought suited his wanderlust. Both married, with Brandi Lee quickly divorcing, and Bryan finding temporary happiness. After the birth of their daughter, Madison, Brian and his wife Angela separated, but remained friends until her death from a drug overdose--a situation that enraged Brandi Lee, the last person to see her sister-in-law alive. Single again, Brandi Lee began to live her life closer to the edge, often referring to her relationships with gang members.

Sources say her penchant for flashing gang hand signals at random ultimately led to the death of a companion who took a bullet meant for her boyfriend. Another boyfriend died minutes after leaving Brandi, a veritable pharmacy in his system. By now, Brandi Lee Campbell was definitely on the local police's radar.

The year 2008 initially brought happiness to the Campbell siblings. Bryan Ray had started his new job as a truck driver, and his daughter Madison's leukemia was in remission. Brandi Lee met a new man and promptly fell in love. The fact that he was engaged to another woman didn't deter Brandi in her pursuit of her "soul mate" and she married Charles Thompson in June.

The night of June 18th, 2008, Bryan visited his sister and her new husband at their small house on Annapolis Avenue in Sheffield. Leaving Brandi's son Brandon Lee at home, the three adults decided to celebrate. After a night of heavy drinking, the three returned to Brandi Lee's home a short time after midnight. Realizing he was in no condition to drive, Bryan stated that he wanted to ride Brandon's bike the few short blocks to his mother's. Bryan had given the bicycle to his nephew, but Brandi refused to let her brother take it. According to all present, the mood soon turned ugly, and Brandi and her husband began to beat Bryan with pool cues.

From this point, the stories of the three survivors vary, but they all end the same way: Bryan Ray Campbell lay dead in the dining room of his sister's home. Brandi stated she shot her brother as he attempted to force his way back into the house after being ejected by her new husband; however, only two empty shotgun shells were found--one on the front lawn and one in the middle of the street sixty-five feet from the front door. A trail of blood stretched across the porch into the house. After examining the scene, police took Brandi Lee in for questioning and formally charged her with murder the next day. Taking her past brushes with the law into account, the arresting officers felt the charge would be easy to prove. Even Brandi's mother announced she wanted justice for her son.

However, after reviewing the forensic evidence and reading the conflicting accounts of Bryan's death, the Colbert County District Attorney chose to charge Brandi with manslaughter, a crime that could bring up to twenty years in prison since a gun was involved. Judge Hal Hughston set Brandi's bond at $10,000.00, an amount that would ordinarily be difficult to obtain for a hairdresser with no property. The next morning, Brandi Lee's stepfather, Curtis Johnson, arrived at the jail to post bond. Family members were shocked by Johnson's actions, as were the arresting officers, but nothing prepared them for the grand jury's ruling.

Despite the discrepancies between Brandi's statement to the police and the actual evidence, a Colbert County grand jury refused to indict her in her brother's death. Brandi Lee Campbell had once again escaped her actions unscathed. With the threat of prosecution behind her, Brandi Lee Campbell was now free to put her life back together. A second chance is rare for many, but Brandi now had a third, or even fourth chance to become a productive citizen, a caring mother, a loving daughter.

What Brandi didn't have was a second chance to become a good wife; Charles Johnson immediately left Brandi and requested the dissolution of their marriage. According to Brandi's MySpace page, she's still looking for that perfect soul mate. Unfortunately, Campbell seems to be looking in all the wrong places. Arrested twice in Colbert County in September for Public Intoxication, Brandi was also arrested early in October for DUI. Later that month, Sheffield police arrested Brandi on a domestic violence charge, an arrest that sources say stemmed from an attack on a new boyfriend. After her move to the Holiday Trailer Park in Muscle Shoals, the Department of Human Resources reopened its file on Campbell who faces the permanent loss of custody of a son now living with his paternal grandparents. Still, Brandi told both friends and family that she was getting her life back together.

On December 23, 2008, Brandi Lee Campbell drove her mother's automobile into the front of Lewis Electric on Second Street in Muscle Shoals. When the investigating officer attempted to take Campbell into custody, she resisted and was forcibly taken away. We've heard that Christmas in jail isn't pleasant. Look for this ongoing saga to be continued.

*****

Brandi Lee Campbell, the Colbert County woman a grand jury refused to indict in the slaying of her brother, was again sought by Colbert County authorities in early November 2009. Besides several bad check charges, Campbell had three outstanding warrants for possession of a controlled substance. After being apprehended and serving a short sentence in the Muscle Shoals City Jail, Campbell entered a rehab facility. 

*****

March 25, 2011: Sources with Morrison Funeral Home have confirmed that the body found on Elledge Lane today is that of Brandi Lee Campbell.

In the days that followed, Colbert County law enforcement revealed that Campbell was found deceased in her vehicle, a spray can next to her body. Residents of the quiet neighborhood were shocked at the discovery and denied knowing the troubled young woman. Brandi was laid to rest in Guy Cemetery in Tuscumbia, survived by her mother and her young son.

The saga of Brandi Lee Campbell was finally at an end.

Taken from columns originally published in Shoalanda Speaks on December 26-29, 2008, and November 9, 2009.

Jennifer Hampton: Murdered by Illegal Immigrant

The following account is taken from columns that appeared in Shoalanda Speaks November 20-25, 2009:

The young Guatemalan had walked for miles. He was determined to make it to the United States for a better life. As he walked, he thought of all he would need when he arrived in his new home--a companion came to mind, one who spoke Spanish. By now he was in Mexico, having hitched enough rides to make good time in his trek. He stopped in a village filled with the poorest of the poor, a village where some families lived in cardboard shacks. 

When the young man left the village, he resumed his trip north with a 14 year-old girl for whom he had paid the equivalent of $20.00. This terrified child was to be his companion for the next five years as he made his way to Athens, Alabama, and began work in the Sweet Sue plant. His "bride" was not allowed out of the house or allowed to learn any English with the exception of what she gleaned from television. She attempted to escape, but the birth of her first child chained her to her captor. 

It was during her second pregnancy that the neighbors on the quiet Athens street heard her screams from the latest beating and called the police. The Guatemalan quickly headed south, ostensibly returning to his homeland. The girl was now 19, heavily pregnant, and forced to live off the charity of a Hispanic family in Decatur. When she delivered her second child, she arrived at the hospital in so late a stage of labor that the physician would not give her any pain medication. Holding the hand of a student nurse who stood next to her while communicating in Latin and praying for the young woman and her child, the girl gave birth to a second son. 

Now she had two anchor children, no education, and no money. What became of this young woman and her children? We don't know... 

The above story is true and is related here to present two very different sides of immigration. Are we against all Hispanic Indian immigration? No. Do we see the problems illegal immigration brings? Yes. Valentino Miranda is a man very much like the one in this story. Last year he killed a young Florence woman who was visiting Knoxville, Tennessee, on business. Now his attorney says he didn't understand his aptly named Miranda rights when he was questioned in the death of Jennifer Hampton. Will this stop his trial? No. It probably won't even slow down the judicial process that will bring a sure punishment to this brutal rapist and murderer. What punishment does Valentino Miranda deserve? Our individual answers to that question say a great deal about us. 

Jennifer Lee Hampton was 21 years old when she died, scores of miles from her high school friends in Waterloo and the various homes in which she had lived during her short life. According to officials at Waterloo High School, Jennifer lived with a sister while attending school. Her mother was barely in the picture, and no one knew if a father even existed. If these things discouraged Jennifer, she tried not to show it. While at Waterloo High she was voted Homecoming Queen her senior year and acclaimed the most dependable. 

If one looks at photographs of Jennifer, one may not see the type of girl that is normally elected homecoming queen. She wore no fancy frock or lashings of make-up. Jennifer won the title because of what she was on the inside. Neither was Jennifer rich; she had little or no money for college and was unsure of what she wanted to do with her life. After working in restaurants for a little over a year, Jennifer announced she wanted to be a nurse. Accepted at a local nursing school, Jennifer continued to work for what she wanted. 

Living in an apartment in Muscle Shoals, she worked as a server at Mama Blues Restaurant in Florence. Jennifer was so proficient in her job that owner Steve Barnhill chose her to be on the team that trained new employees in other towns. Friends say Jennifer loved the opportunity to travel and was eager to train workers at a new Mama Blues in Knoxville. 

It was in Knoxville that she encountered illegal immigrant Valentino Miranda, the man who brutally raped and murdered her. Valentino Vasquez Miranda had migrated to the United States illegally and, like the Guatemalan immigrant in the above tale, was living with a common-law wife over whom he exerted total control. Miranda and Rosa Rodriguez Hernandez shared a room at the Days Inn on South Lovell Road in Knoxville, the motel at which the Florence Mama Blues' employees were housed during their stay. 

When Jennifer Lee Hampton entered Room 148 on the night of September 19, 2008, she had no idea it was to become her death chamber. Nick Patel, manager of the Days Inn, had hired the 19 year-old Miranda and 38 year-old Rogelio Dominguez Melchor to do maintenance work at the motel. Both immigrants presented illegal social security cards--a fact that Patel vehemently hangs on to in his assertion of total lack of responsibility in the crime. Both Miranda and Melchor possessed key cards allowing them entrance into the guests' rooms. As recently as the week before, a female patron had complained of Valentino Miranda entering her room in the middle of the night, but management refused to respond to her charges. 

Sometime after 3:00 a.m. on the morning of September 20th, Miranda entered Jennifer's room with the intention of raping her. Miranda is the only living person who knows what happened next, but forensic pathologists have stated that the former Waterloo homecoming queen put up a prolonged fight. When a shaken fisherman found her nude body seven days later in Melton Hill Lake, Jennifer was missing a tooth, showed marked defensive wounds, and signs of sexual attack and strangulation. Now, with a body in their possession, the Knoxville authorities arrested Miranda, charging him with First Degree Murder. Hernandez had willingly handed over the bloody clothes Valentino Miranda had worn that night, and semen from the sexual assault kit matched Miranda. The Knox County District Attorney announced that it would, in effect, be a slam dunk case. 

After medical examiners identified the body found in the lake as that of Jennifer Lee Hampton, her family in Lauderdale County began to make funeral arrangements. At first, family members were concerned over a lack of funds, but individuals who had never met Jennifer stepped in and took over. Police departments between Knox County, Tennessee, and Lauderdale County, Alabama, escorted the former homecoming queen's body to the Morrison Funeral Home in the Central Community. KK Edgil-Hargett who works with rape victims and their families assisted the Hampton family in getting a reduced rate from the funeral home. Even as Shoals residents came forward to aid the family locally, stunned residents of Knoxville had begun their own efforts to collect funds for Jennifer's family. 

After Jennifer was laid to rest in a private ceremony on October 2, 2008, it had become clear that the initial expenses had been more than taken care of by the generous outpourings of those who had never met Jennifer during her short life; but others, still in shock at the brutal murder, wanted to contribute. Two female Lauderdale deputies initiated a nursing scholarship at Northwest Shoals Community College in Jennifer's honor. Bette Terry, a Registered Nurse who also works with rape victims, had already begun a fund in Jennifer's memory. Tina Parker, current candidate for Colbert County District Judge, assisted with the collection of funds and suggested memorializing Jennifer in the next Safeplace fundraiser. When it became apparent that the minimum funding to enter the Safeplace walk would fall short, an anonymous Florence businessman contributed the difference. Jeff Miller designed the tee-shirts, and on April 4, 2009, a team honoring Jennifer Hampton participated in the annual Safeplace Walk-a-Mile-for-a-Child. 

Jennifer Lee Hampton now lives on in the memories of those who knew and loved her. We hope those who have contributed in her memory to scholarships and the eradication of violence toward women know that they also have ensured Jennifer's memory will influence future generations of young women. Yet, Jennifer's story is not finished. Yes, Valentino Vasquez Miranda brutally beat, raped, and murdered Jennifer Lee Hampton. He then disposed of her body in a nearby lake where it remained for seven days. His skin and semen were found on Jennifer's body, and his victim's blood was found on the clothes Miranda wore the night of her murder. Rosa Hernandez, Miranda's common-law wife, saved the clothes her husband wore that night, clothes with Jennifer's blood on them. Now Miranda's defense attorney says his client has been illegally detained for the past 14 months. Why? Valentino Miranda did not understand his Miranda rights when they were read to him. 

Joe Fanduzz, Miranda's court appointed attorney states that his client understands little or no English and may not have comprehended the fact that he did not have to answer the questions posed him by Knoxville, Tennessee, detectives. Did the Knoxville police not provide an interpreter for the suspect? It seems the Knoxville Police Department did indeed provide Miranda with an interpreter, but the individual used was not certified by the correct authorities, whoever they may be. Does that mean the interpreter did not adequately inform Miranda of his rights--rights guaranteed by the United State Constitution? No, it seems that point is not really in question. While Miranda did not sign a release (apparently he cannot write his name), he did nod in agreement and acceptance. Fanduzz's argument is simply the lack of official status of the interpreter. 

A Knox County judge is set to rule on the defense motion on December 15th. Miranda's trial is still scheduled to begin January 11, 2010, at which time Fanduzz and his step-father John Eldridge will attempt to defend Miranda. We say attempt to defend, because there can be no defense for what Miranda did. Does he deserve the death penalty? In most cases, we oppose the death penalty for a variety of reasons. In this case, we have no doubt of Miranda's guilt and feel that he, unlike most of us, would actually enjoy a better life in prison than he would in the free world. Pray for justice for Jennifer Lee Hampton.

Epilogue: Valentino Miranda was convicted of First Degree Murder and sentenced to life with the chance of parole. His eligibility for parole will not be in effect until February 25, 2063. If alive at that time, the sadistic rapist/murderer will be 75 years old. He's currently housed under minimum custody at the Northeast Correctional Complex in Mountain City, Tennessee.

Matthew Williams: No More Cruisin' on Woodward Avenue

The pony cars are cruisin' on Woodward Avenue. 

Go and try to pass 'em, they'll smoke you if you do. 

From The Horizontal Bop by Bob Segar 

One doesn't have to be superstitious to realize that the Ides of March was unlucky for Matthew Daniel Williams. It was Saturday, March 15, 1997, when Williams died in a 10:20 p.m. drive-by shooting on Woodward Avenue. Reports indicated that Williams' red Mazda truck displayed symbols associated with the Crips; the other two occupants of his truck were Bradley Williams and his pregnant fiancee' Brandi Lee Campbell. Campbell was known to talk of gang related activities and flash gang signs at random--a strange affectation that may have directly led to Matthew Williams' death. 

Matthew Williams, a graduate of Muscle Shoals High School, was attending Northwest-Shoals Community College at the time of his death. A member of the choral group "The Singers," he had a perfect 4.0 GPA. Muscle Shoals police were initially mystified as to how the conservative Williams had become involved in a gang related shooting. Their investigation later determined that Bradley Williams, no relation to the victim, had been in a verbal altercation with the shooter earlier in the evening. Was Bradley Williams the intended victim? Were gangs even involved? Had Brandi Campbell sacrificed Matthew Williams to save her fiance'? Did Matthew Daniel Williams take a bullet that was meant for someone else? 

It's hard to come to any other conclusion after reviewing the various statements concerning the drive-by shooting. While driving north on Woodward Avenue, Matthew Williams was behind the wheel, while his friend Bradley Williams, an alleged member of the Crips, sat on the passenger side; between them sat Brandi Lee Campbell, often described as a gang-wannabe. 

Bradley Williams had been involved in a verbal altercation with 16 year-old Charles Eugene Black (pictured above) earlier in the evening. Now, Black was a passenger in a car driven by 18 year-old Jamie Allen Mackey. Three other youths rode in the back seat of Mackey's car, all either members of or closely associated with the Folk Nation. 

As Mackey's car maneuvered alongside Matthew Williams' truck, Brandi Campbell saw the glint of a gun as it misfired. Telling her fiance' Bradley Williams to duck, Campbell followed suit, allowing the second shot to strike Matthew Williams in the head. According to Campbell's dramatic testimony, she knew he was dead as soon as she felt him slump against her. 

A Colbert County jury took 45 minutes to convict Charles Black of capital murder. Black is serving a sentence of life without possibility of parole at the St. Clair Correctional Facility. Mackey was convicted of felony murder and is currently serving a life sentence at Limestone Correctional Facility; he is eligible for parole. The third defendant in the case was Ben Edward Burt. A resident of Reedtown, the 37 year-old Burt was supposedly the Northwest Alabama leader of the Folk gang and a close associate of Mark Anthony Hurley, aka the Reedtown rapist. 

The Franklin County resident admitted to ordering a random hit on a member of the Crip gang and was given a plea deal for his testimony. Burt received a twenty year sentence and is currently incarcerated at Limestone. According to Danny and Elaine Williams, Matthew's parents, while they accepted the plea deal, they expected Burt to receive much longer than his twenty year sentence. 

Update: Since this article was originally published, Ben Burt and Jamie Mackey have been released from prison. Charles Black continues to serve his life sentence in the St. Clair Correctional Facility. In a few short days, Black will have lived 24 of his 40 years behind bars.

The above article originally appeared in Shoalanda Speaks on March 6 & 8, 2010; it appeared in Shoals Crime in July 2010.

27 Murders...and Counting

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Murder in Muscle Shoals Volume I

13 Tales of Madness & Mayhem in Northwest Alabama

Murder in Muscle Shoals Volume II

13 More Tales of Madness & Mayhem in Northwest Alabma

Ron Wikkid

He Was Just a Juggalo Who Dismembered His Victim

Willie Jermane Koger: Executed Before He Could Testify

By the time he was 23, Willie Jermane Koger had a record for drug possession. By the time he was 26, Willie Koger was dead, murdered in a West Florence home just hours before he was to testify at a grand jury hearing.

Willie Jermane Koger

In February 2008, Koger had been at the West Side Pool Hall on West Mobile Street where he argued with Patton Lanorris Shipley. The verbal altercation led to Shipley shooting Koger in the back. Willie survived, and Shipley was arrested for Attempted Murder. The then 32 year-old Shipley, known as “Huggy,” remained in the Lauderdale County Detention Center on April 23, 2008, the day that Willie Koger was dispatched execution style at the home of a family member. 

Patton Lanorris “Huggy” Shipley

Authorities say Willie Koger had been residing in Cherokee while he recuperated from his injuries, but had spent the night of Tuesday, April 22nd, at his cousin’s home on West College Street, ostensibly to be near the Lauderdale County Courthouse where he was to testify. The cousin last saw Willie at 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday. When he returned from work that afternoon, he found Koger dead. Koger’s body still lay on the bed, and investigators theorized the would-be grand jury witness was still asleep when shot in the head at close range.

Shortly after three o’clock, neighbors described what’s been called “half the Florence Police Department” descend on the home situated across from Bunyon’s Barbecue. Detectives soon zeroed in on two suspects, eventually narrowing it down to one man: Marcus DeWayne Lee.

Marcus DeWayne Lee

Marcus Lee, known as “Huk,” was 32 in 2008, the same age as Shipley, and was reported to be a long-time friend of the man who had attacked Koger two months before. He also had previously served two sentences in the Alabama State Prison System - one for possession of drugs and one for distribution.

For whatever reason, Florence detectives weren’t able to solidify a case against Lee. Yet, his freedom was to be short-lived. In July 2008, Lee was one of two men who argued with a third man at the same West Florence pool room where Willie Koger had been shot the year before. The intended victim, who escaped injury, was Demetrius (Dee) Koger, the then 30 year-old brother of Willie Jermane Koger. A grand jury indicted Lee in March 2009 on charges of  Attempted Murder and Discharging a Firearm into an Occupied Vehicle, and he was immediately taken into custody

Marcus Lee never saw a free day after that arrest. Supporters of the oft-incarcerated felon were attempting to secure his release on a reduced bond when, on April 23rd, 2009, exactly one year after the murder of Willie Jermane Koger, Lee stabbed fellow inmate Kenneth Dwight Sylverster Jr. with a pen.

Kenneth Dwight Sylvester Jr.

Sylvester, who was himself facing murder charges, survived, but Lee’s chances at bond or a lenient sentence did not. Assistant District Attorney Will Powell argued that the defendant was the prime suspect in the murder of Willie Koger and should be taken from the community permanently. A jury took three hours to convict Marcus Lee of the attempted murder of Dee Koger. In December 2009, Lauderdale Circuit Court Judge Gil Self sentenced Lee to Life without Parole as a violent habitual offender.

* Marcus DeWayne Lee is currently housed under medium security in the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility.

* Kenneth Dwight Sylvester Jr. was convicted of Manslaughter in the beating death of his roommate Donnie Guyse and is housed at the Red Eagle Honor Farm with a scheduled release date of January 2024.

* Patton Lanorris Shipley was shot dead in June 2018 at the age of 42. Charges against the shooter were dismissed on the basis of the Stand Your Ground doctrine.

-()-

Read about the most sensational murder case the Shoals has ever seen:

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Troy Keller: A Sex Offender "Too Short" on Brains

Jasper Troy Keller is a 24 year-old Cherokee, Alabama, resident who sports a tattoo reading "too short" and tells his family that he's above the law. The Colbert County District Attorney's Office tells people that Troy is someone who likes young boys...and not in any good way.

In 2016, Keller was charged in Colbert County with the First and Second Degree Sodomy of a 13 year-old boy. Those charges mean that 1) the boy was not old enough to consent even if he had wanted to and 2) the sodomy was forcible. 

It took three years, but in June of this year the wheels of justice meted out its sentence on Keller - he was allowed to plead to one charge of the Second Degree Sexual Abuse of a Minor. Now Jazzbo is on the sex offender registry for life.

Since that time, Keller has gotten on with his life, marrying an older woman with two young daughters. In February, this odd couple will be welcoming a daughter of their own. The happy sex offender also continued to work, either for pay or pats on the back, at Cherokee football games until he was reported. He told family and friends that the courts gave him special dispensation.

Troy Keller must also think Mark Zuckerberg has given him special permission to maintain a Facebook page. When FB previously removed his profile, he promptly put it back up. What else is Jazzbo doing that he shouldn't?

Parents, no matter where you live, watch your children. You don't know how many individuals out there think they're just special enough to assault them. 

The Tragic Murder of Bree Rutland

One definition of "tragedy" is a play in which the hero's downfall is caused by an imperfection in his otherwise flawless and heroic character. This is truly the story of Brioni Rutland, known to his friends as "Bree." Below is an account of Bree's murder taken from Pen-N-Sword articles:

The morning of Tuesday, November 26th, Brioni Jamaal Rutland was at Deshler High School assisting with the athletic program. Around eleven o’clock, he told associates he was going to Krystal in Florence to meet some friends for lunch. He never arrived.

Early on Wednesday, Bree’s girlfriend Morgan Taylor Presley notified the police that the former Deshler football standout was missing. Police soon used the GPS on his cell phone to locate it in a sewer on Wood Avenue. Along with the phone, police found Bree’s wallet. At that point, the police went public with their search for the 27 year-old Tuscumbia resident.

By Thanksgiving night, authorities had found Bree’s gold Chevrolet Impala at Village Apartments in Sheffield, but it yielded no new clues as to Rutland’s whereabouts. On Friday morning, hikers reported a large amount of blood on the Old Railroad Bridge in Sheffield. At two o’clock the next afternoon, a search team found a body that family identified as Bree’s.

Local authorities have a suspect in custody and hope to answer both the questions of where and why Brioni Jamaal Rutland, aka Bree, was murdered. The 27 year-old Deshler volunteer coach was last seen at Deshler High School around eleven o’clock Tuesday morning.

Pools on football games or other sports are common in today’s offices, as well as fraternities, and just about any venue where the males of the species gather. Was it an argument over a football pool debt that cost Brioni Jamaal Rutland his life?

A source with the Tuscumbia Police Department has indicated a debt of a few hundred dollars won in such a pool was the basis for the original disagreement between Rutland and Jeremy LeShun Williams (pictured below), a former basketball teammate of Rutland at Deshler High School. Authorities have copies of text messages between the two men that indicate Rutland expected to pick up money from someone on the day he disappeared.

A life destroyed for a few hundred dollars.

Lonell D. Hankins, 31, of Tuscumbia (pictured above) has been shot in an early Tuesday morning altercation and airlifted to Huntsville in critical condition. Hankins is a cousin to Bree Rutland, recent Tuscumbia murder victim, and played football at Deshler High School in 1999 and 2000. Hankins was allegedly shot by Gregory Williams, brother to Jeremy LaShun Williams who has been arrested in the murder of Rutland. 

Hankins recovered; Williams was convicted of Felony Murder and sentenced to life in prison with the chance of parole. He will be eligible for consideration in November 2028.

Final Curtain: Brioni “Bree” Rutland was rumored to be heavily into gambling. Whether a major Shoals bookie or just a regular player in football pools, Bree’s life was reportedly taken over a gambling debt owed him by his assailant. Rutland regularly Tweeted as “GRIND2SHINE.” He had 386 followers who were personally approved by him. One of his followers had recently tweeted “cant live this life!” 

Did this become an apt eulogy for “Bree” Rutland?