Alabama 16-year-old who fatally stabbed mother and teen brothers faces death penalty under state's new laws
MUNFORD, ALABAMA: A 16-year-old has been arrested and charged over the murders of his mother and twin brothers, who were found stabbed to death at their home.
The gruesome discovery was made after deputies from the Talladega County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) responded to a residence on Roy Lackey Lane in Munford on Tuesday, January 21, and found the bodies of Holli Christina Durham, 36, and twin brothers Branson Durham and Baron Durham, both 13. The cause of death appeared to be stab wounds.
A third son, 16-year-old Landon Durham, was determined to be the culprit and was tracked down by the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office at around 7.40 am the next morning. He was intercepted at a store as he was traveling towards Etowah County and was arrested without incident.
Landon is facing capital murder charges in connection to the brutal stabbings and will be tried as an adult, Talladega County District Attorney Steve Giddens said.
He explained that while the death penalty does not apply to people under the age of 18 in Alabama, Durham would be automatically charged and tried as an adult due to the state's new laws on capital offenses.
"This is the kind of crimes you see on TV or the media or the internet that happen in other places and for it to happen here, it really hits home," said Giddens. "Munford, like all communities in this county, is pretty close-knit, and I know they’re hurting, and we are, too... I’m not wishing this on somebody else but it’s hard to believe these things happen."
However, a motive for the killings remains unclear. In a statement on their Facebook page, the TCSO said they were still actively investigating the case. "There is no known threat to the community at this time," they assured, "this is an ongoing homicide investigation and no further information will be released at this time."
Sheriff Jimmy Kilgore said that he doesn't believe that either the community or the schools are in danger, though, as a precaution, additional deputies were stationed on campuses on Wednesday.
Anyone who has any information is encouraged to contact the Talladega County Sheriff's Office Investigation Division at 256-761-2141 or leave an anonymous tip at www.talladegasheriff.com. The East Alabama Metro Crime Center, Oxford police, Munford police, and the Munford Volunteer Fire Department are also assisting in the investigation.