HUNTSVILLE, AL—
A Madison County jury has found Jamal Woods guilty of capital murder. The jury announced the verdict at 6:25pm Friday.The verdict came literally moments after the judge answered two questions for the jury, one, about the difference between capital murder and intentional murder, and the second about "but for causation," concerning the death of one of the victims at Huntsville Hospital.
The jury left the courtroom, and then returned a moment later to announce the verdict.
The jury found Woods guilty of two counts of capital murder in the deaths of Tank Beavers and Thurston Turner, one count of attempted murder for shooting Tory Rogers, and one count of assault for shooting Tim Reliford.
Deputies immediately handcuffed Woods after the jury read the verdict and took him away.
The shootings happened in December 2006 at TGI Friday's in Huntsville.
The jury got the case shortly after 11am Friday. They took a break for lunch, and then returned to discuss the trial.
The three alternate jurors were sent home, all men. Now, the jury is made up of 10 women and two men. There are also four African-Americans on the jury, all women.
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Thursday was an eventful day, as the defense and prosecution wrapped up. The defense had rested late Wednesday, but early Thursday morning, the judge granted a request from defense attorney Larry Morgan to allow him to withdraw as one of Woods' attorneys in order to testify in the case.
Madison County Circuit Judge Laura Jo Hamilton allowed Morgan to take the stand. Morgan testified Dr. Adel Shaker, who was the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsies on the two victims who died, did not give all the details that he knew and that he and Morgan had talked about on the phone. Morgan said he wanted to take the stand to clear up Dr. Shaker's testimony about Thurston Turner's autopsy.
Morgan says there were "red flags" in Dr. Shaker's testimony.
Four witnesses took the stand on Wednesday, including Woods' former teachers, a doctor and a gang expert.
Two of Jamal Woods' high school football coaches took the stand Wednesday morning. Both of them said Woods suffers from temper issues, but both said that he is at heart a good person. One coach, Glenn Vickery, says he and Woods have a close relationship and that he could see the good inside him.
Also, Kevin Turner, who works for the Madison County District Attorney's office took the stand for the defense. They called him because of his work with tracking gang activity. Turner said that Woods responses during the shooting at TGI Friday's, could be connected to his life growing up around gang cluture.
After lunch a pyschologist took the stand. Dr. Joseph Ackerson said Woods suffers from anti-social personality disorder. He said this could also play a role in what happened back in December of 2006.
Woods could face death by lethal injection. Sentencing will be held at a later date.
