Kenneth Wayne Adams: Alabama man acquitted for killing man over logging truck dispute after 4 years
ELKMONT, ALABAMA: After almost four years of fighting for justice, Kenneth Wayne Adams finally succeeded after the Limestone County jurors agreed to his claims on Friday, January 27. Adams was accused of fatally shooting and killing William Allen Brantley on March 28, 2019, on Rooker Lane of Oak Grove Road. Since the beginning, Adams has always claimed that he did it in self-defence but the authorities were always skeptical and rigid until a few days back.
Ron Smith, who served as Adams' defense attorney, presented a different conjecture on the basis of the blood spatter found on Brantley’s pistol, which was present only because Brantley would have been holding the gun when he was shot and dropped the gun as he fell to the ground. Earlier, witnesses presumed that Brantley did not hold the gun during the incident but there were doubts about the testimony as the whereabouts of the witnesses on Rooker Lane were unknown during the incident.
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What happened between Kenneth Wayne Adams and William Allen Brantley?
According to Al News, the incident arose from a property dispute which led to Brantley getting shot four times when he confronted Adams. Reportedly, an upset Brantley had called the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office hours before the shooting because of the of the logging trucks constantly going up and down Rooker Lane inside his property.
Adams reportedly was in his vehicle following behind a logging truck that had been doing work on his property, when it attempted to make a right turn onto Oak Grove Road. Brantley reportedly came in front of Adams’ truck and around the driver’s side toward the driver’s window, according to a dashcam footage obtained from Adams’ truck. The entire ordeal however took place out of the camera's view but audio caught a verbal altercation followed by shots being fired. Adams then called 911, stating that a man had approached him with a gun and that he was lying on Rooker Lane, asking that deputies be sent quickly.
Both Adams and Brantley were found to be armed after Sgt Terry Johnson arrived. Brantley’s pistol was found lying out of the holster near his feet. Lead investigator Kristin King thought that Brantley was not armed when he came around Adams’ truck. King blamed Adams, calling him a “bully” and the aggressor in an interrogation video. The State argued that Brantley reached for his gun only after getting shot. The gun was found with a fully loaded magazine and a bullet in the chamber.
How did the jurors reach their conclusion?
Jurors visited the scene after Circuit Court Judge Chadwick Wise granted the defense’s request to do so on the final day of the trial. They walked on Rooker Lane from one end to the other and were able to analyze the distance from the position of eyewitnesses to the location of the shooting as well as the conditions there. Both sides rested their case late on Friday afternoon, on January 27, but the jurors decided to proceed with deliberations till evening rather than come back the next morning. They let Judge Wise know they had reached a conclusion just before 9 pm and it was a verdict of "not guilty," much to the delight and relief of Adams.
Adams also has a pending civil suit filed against him by Shannon, Brantley's widow. She filed a wrongful death suit against Adams in November 2019. The civil case is still active, but no court date has been set.