Horrific murder of Montgomery mom & other AL cases impacted by new Supreme Court ruling
MONTGOMERY CO., AL (WSFA) -
Underage killers in Alabama, many who've spent years behind bars, may soon get a shot at life on the outside. A recent decision by the United States Supreme Court means that some serving time for crimes committed as teens could get a chance for parole.
Statewide, 66 cases will require resentencing.
Sentences in nine Montgomery County murder cases will be reviewed as a result of the ruling, but it means families who thought the crimes were behind them now face more court proceedings.
One of the cases that’s back in the spotlight due to the new decision is the fatal home invasion committed by Renaldo Adams. It was one of the most horrific crimes in Montgomery’s history.
Adams was 17 on August 20, 1997 when he broke into the Capitol Heights home of Andy and Melissa Mills and put a knife to Melissa’s throat. He demanded Andy go get cash from an ATM machine. When Andy returned with the money, Adams demanded more.
Andy Mills left and second time and returned with police but during that trip, Melissa was raped and stabbed multiple times. She later died in the emergency room. The mother of three was also four months pregnant. Her other young children were in the home that night.
A neighbor saw Adams climbing a fence, trying to get away but he was caught. He left his shoe at the scene and the murder weapon was found stashed near the home.
Adams was convicted of four counts of capital murder for murdering Melissa “Missy” Mills during the course of a rape, robbery, and burglary, and for murdering Mills during the course of robbing her husband, Andrew Mills. He was also convicted of robbery in the first degree for robbing Andrew Mills. A jury, by a vote of 10 to 2, recommended that Adams be sentenced to death for his capital-murder convictions. The trial court accepted the jury's recommendation and sentenced Adams to death.
In 2005, the United States Supreme Court ruled that juvenile defendants could not receive the death penalty and Adams was resentenced to life without parole.
Then in 2012, the United States Supreme Court ruled that juveniles could not be automatically sentenced to life without parole, mandating that a judge consider their immaturity and failure to appreciate risks and consequences.
Their most recent decision last week made the 2012 ruling retroactive, meaning that every juvenile who was sentenced prior to 2012 has to be resentenced by a trial court and the trial court has to take into consideration the defendant’s immaturity and failure to appreciate risks and consequences. Some inmates could receive a new sentence or possibly be eligible for parole.
Montgomery County District Attorney Daryl Bailey says his office is in the process of contacting the families of the victims from the nine murder cases that are going to have to be resentenced.
“They are going to have to relive all of these crimes again. They felt that at least this part was over, that they had received justice and now they're going to have to come back in to court and go through another sentencing hearing hoping that these individuals who murdered their loved ones will at least be sentenced to life without parole,” he said. “We are pushing for the maximum, for life without parole in each one of these cases.”
A murder case in Dallas County (Julius Reeves), Lowndes County (Lavaritus Smith) and Autauga County (Earnest Hogan) are also affected by the ruling.
The other murder cases impacted in Montgomery County involve Johnathan Bishop, Billy Brinson, Antonio Flynn, Willie Gardner, William Knotts, Emanuel McWilliams, Delano Smith and Jimmy William Jr.
Some of the crimes date back decades. DA Daryl Bailey says killers like Renaldo Adams, who originally was sentenced to death, have already been given a break and need to stay in prison.
“I believe that if the United States Supreme Court had reviewed Renaldo Adams case, there's no way that they would have come up with this decision,” Bailey said. “Renaldo Adams and the other eight that we have serving life without parole sentences never need to walk the streets of Montgomery again.”